Like the first movie, the sequel tries to use extremes, including caricatures, to generate woozy comedy. And the image of the tiny Ms. Moretz executing flips and villains in the first movie did give it an uncomfortably comic bite, as did Mindy’s slavish devotion to her psychotic father, a self-styled superhero called Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage). He’s gone now, as is the modest frisson generated by his relationship with Hit Girl. Now Mindy is just another kid with only one real friend, no real parenting, problems at school, a carefully nurtured secret life and a roomful of lethal weapons. In other words, while she’s still a fictional character and a moderately cartoonish one at that, she’s also a heroic stand-in for every teenager who picks up a gun and starts shooting.

“Kick-Ass 2” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Extreme violence.