2. 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.

3. 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=GVdJ
umNjzmo

4. Hybrid of genres
• The film itself is described as a BritishAmerican superhero, action comedy. This
illustrates the mix of genres that are in the
film without even watching it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keJL75N9Ow&safe=active

5. 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.

6. 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’.

7. Simulacra
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kaWJPc4
psI&safe=active
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?

8. 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

9. 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=_qOEAV9A
sCM

10. 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.