http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=kick+ass+2&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=TkIaGGkyVghqYM&tbnid=3VuzRxbD0SSo-M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://manyatruenerd.com/2013/08/17/kick-ass-2-review/&ei=N83TUszkMIyBhQf16oDQBA&bvm=bv.59026428,d.ZGU&psig=AFQjCNEW0-cQym2VTb8vfHr0VSbsToTKQw&ust=1389698702966102

About the film…

• Kick Ass 2 (2013) is the sequel to the first film Kick Ass (2010). It is an British-American superhero, action comedy based on the comic book of the same name and Hit-Girl, both by Mark Millar and John Romita.

• The film was written and directed by Jeff Wadlow and co-produced by Matthew Vaughn.

Black humour/flattening affect

• The film is all about killing enemies and fighting crimes. It takes death and puts a humorous twist on it, even though some methods of killing are as gruesome as they get i.e. via decapitating.

Even Jim Carrey wanted to distance himself from the film due to its high level of violence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVdJumNjzmo

Hybrid of genres

• The film itself is described as a British-American superhero, action comedy. This illustrates the mix of genres that are in the film without even watching it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keJL-75N9Ow&safe=active

Pastiche/homage

• The film is based on the comic book with the same name and also the comic ‘Hit Girl’ which is on the protagonists in the film.

• It is imitating the comic in a celebratory way via film.

Nostalgia• Kick Ass/2 both playfully take the mick/ imitate in a humours way other

super heros like Batman, Spiderman and Superman.• For example, there is a villan named ‘Motherfucker’ after he killed his

mum, and then creates a group of villains whose names start with ‘Mother…’ e.g. Mother Russia. This in turn illustrates how Kick Ass is full of

black humour, basically taking pride in death and killing others. Another super hero/villian is called ‘night bitch’.

Simulacra• Jean Baudrillard proposed the theory of simulacra. He proposed that Simulacra are

copies that depict things that either had no reality to begin with, or that no longer have an original. Kick Ass/2 is a copy of superhero movies and the superheroes themselves. There are so many Superhero movies made that there is no longer any originality in them. This apply’s to Kick Ass which has once again recycled the idea of Superheroes fighting villians and saving the world. This portrays that there is no such originality in the media anymore.

In Kick Ass. Hit Girl and her Dad – The real life Batman and Robin?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kaWJPc4psI&safe=active

Boarders on racism• Kick Ass 2 boarders on racism at times, particularly to

ethnicities such as those who are African American. Here in this clip you see the ring leader ‘Motherfucker’ naming a man he is recruiting after his skin colour. This is just one issue with postmodern films, they tend to take playfulness to far particularly towards race and ethnicity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9_O6o4P-9s

Techno culture/living in media saturated culture

• There are consistent references to media sites such as twitter throughout the film. This illustrates that our world is dominated by media and we use it for mostly everything, even telling people what we are doing, how we are feeling etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qOEAV9AsCM

Techno culture/living in a media saturated culture

Marshall Mcluhan- • Like Baudrillard, Marshall Mcluhan provides provocative theories on the

role of the media and new technology in constituting the contemporary world.

• He proposes that print culture is succeeded by electronic culture and technology.

• Kick Ass 2 follows this theory that our world is dominated by media as it references electronic culture i.e. twitter consitently.