I wasn’t a huge fan of the first film, but there were aspects that I enjoyed, including its no holds barred style.  More of the same is present in this sequel, in which the kid whose father was bazooka-ed to death in the first film decides to take his revenge on the kid who killed his father.  Nicolas Cage is gone (except for a dorky photo) but Jim Carrey steps in as a masked father figure for Dave (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who feels the need to fight his city’s villains as the costumed crusader Kick-Ass.

But the heart and soul of the film (as it was with the first one) is Chloe Grace Moretz as Mindy Macready, or Hit Girl.  Mindy hits puberty in this adventure, finding her high school years even more difficult than decapitating deserving thugs in dark alleys. Moretz is wonderfully gifted and thoroughly captivating in a profane role that blends teenage angst with gleeful mayhem.  Jeff Wadlow’s film defies political correctness, for which it should be applauded, but some of the violent and verbal debauchery is a bit hard to take at times.

And while it is an exercise in excess — so much so that Jim Carrey decided not to promote the film because it is so violent — at its heart it is both conservative and sentimental.  It’s an odd mix that works more often than not, and it has deeper ambition than might be expected.  If its dialogue were not so self-important at key moments and so ridiculously potty-mouthed at others I think I would like it even more.  Still, it’s definitely worth a watch for those viewers who don’t mind a teenage girl dismember people with swords and such.  ☆ ☆ 1/2.  8 September 2013.