Why I Saw It: Are you kidding me? I loved the first movie, so this was a no-brainer for me.
Cast: They're all back. This time, with help. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a frightening specimen. In fact, I had a hard time seeing him as helpless at all. Maybe he worked out a little too much in preparation for this. Chloe Grace-Moretz doesn't have the shock value she did in the first both because we've seen it before and while it's still unexpected to see a 15 year-old girl be so lethal, it is less absurd than a 12 year-old. She's obviously had a good trainer in between movies as well. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is cartoonishly over the top and he did not hire a trainer in between movies. That's for sure, although I assume that was on purpose. There's a bunch of other smaller parts like Donald Faison, Jim Carrey, Clark Duke (of course), Morris Chestnut, and John Leguizamo. They are mostly filler for the core cast. This is a solid mix of people though to fill a very interesting world.
Plot: Too much. Definitely too much. A lot is happening here. A lot of new characters are introduced. A lot of emotional journeys for the main characters. A lot. Beyond that, no real issue. I could've done without the Mean Girls plot with Mindy though. That was mostly pointless. It got some laughs though. The movie tries hard to recognize the consequences of everyone's actions while still remembering it is mostly a comedy. It treads some really dark material and I'd say the first movie did a better job walking the tightrope. Occasionally, the carnage caused by these VERY damaged people is very casually and comically, while other times it is looked at somberly. The script never decides what it thinks about that.
Elephant in the Room: How does it compare to the comic? I don't know. Do I look like I read? Ok, I did a little Wikipediaing and the movie is virtually G-rated by comparison to the source material. What strikes me as off is some of the decisions they make to change it. Immediately, what comes to mind is introducing Night-Bitch instead of keeping Katie around (she literally gets one scene). Beyond the desire to introduce a new hot girl or Lyndsy Fosenca not being available, I'm not sure why they did this after how much of the first movie was based on that. John Leguizamos' character was stange too. I get that he added a needed emotional element for the Mother Fucker but introducing him and tying him to his dad's old mafia connections does very little for the central plot beyond reiterate things that we already understood.
To Sum Things Up:
I liked this. I really did. It is over crowded with a lot of unneeded plot-points though. The same dark humor is there. The same crazy premise. The same damaged, yet likable characters. Only they are going bigger. Sadly, no bazookas this time. The first movie is a very polarizing film and this one is the same. No one will be converted by this movie. The first movie does the work to bring it all together. The second movie has fun exploring it. I'd be curious what a third movie would even look like.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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