Also insulting is the film's view towards women and girls. I was not expecting the film to treat them as transcending their circumstances and being worshipped as life-giving earth mothers, but was it really necessary to have three girls vomiting and defecating simultaneously? Also, it would have been OK to have at least one female character that was not a complete buffoon or in need of validation through male acceptance. The film's misogynistic take on women reaches its apex in a rape scene that is played for laughs. Wadlow keeps the camera tight on the wannabe rapist's face at first, and stays on him as he masturbates furiously to try to get an erection. All the while, there is a woman in the corner, fearing the worst. But Wadlow refuses to cut to her: our attention is on the potential rapist. Wadlow's mastery of film grammar is generally questionable anyway, but someone should have had words with him about this scene. Possibly his mother.

Also icky is the sexualization of Chloë Grace Moretz, a trend that began in last year's "Dark Shadows" and continues here, where the hormonal vagaries of Mindy's body are brought to the screen in fairly graphic ways (I was surprised to discover that the boy-band who inspires her sexual awakening is in fact real). Grace has been good before, but here she seems to be mimicking emotions she was yet to experience, rather than acting. Considering how grating Christopher Mintz-Plasse's and how bland Aaron Taylor-Johnson's personae are, her subpar performance is particularly conspicuous.

By the end of "Kick-Ass 2," Dave is redeemed by the "perfect," virginally pure, specimen that is Mindy. This betrays a further fascist motif inherent in the narrative. Throughout the film, it is unclear quite what Dave is thinking when he stares at his perfect, Aryan sidekick. The eerie sexual prompting surrounding her takes on an additional political burden. By the end, Dave is defending Mindy, the racially pure, against the unwanted attentions of the outcast portion of society. And Mindy, like a cross between a Smurf and a Valkyrie, is wreaking vengeance herself. This is post-structural fascism, with the hint of the past fueling the engine of violence. But the two kiss at the end, so it's all good, I suppose.

"Kick-Ass 2" is a badly made film with a nonsensical plot, lackluster performances, confusing action, excessive violence, and deplorable morals. Avoid it at all costs. If you have a date this weekend, and they want to see it, avoid them, too. Forever.

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