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Matthew Vaughn’s superhero cult classic ‘Kick-Ass’ now available on store shelves. Though not a huge box office hit, the film’s minimalist approach the popular genre offered us a gritty look at what the world could be like if it was filled with humans masquerading as superheroes. Its bloody bubblegum pop aesthetics provided satire and comedic levity that is directly opposite other darker superhero films like Watchmen, which also had a real-world approach to humans becoming vigilantes.
Based on the Mark Millar comic of the same name, Kick-Ass centers on Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor Johnson), an Staten Island, New York ordinary teenager who is inspired to become a superhero based on the comic books that he reads. After modifying a scuba suit and purchasing a pair of batons, Dave’s first attempt ends in gruesome failure. But after a few months of rehab, he returns to the field and is able to save a woman in distress. He then names himself “Kick-Ass.”
And in an attempt to woo a high school crush, Kick-Ass responds to a social media request to stop a drug dealer that has been harassing her. But his ambition gets the better of him as the drug dealers thugs overwhelm him. On the verge of death, Kick-Ass is then saved by the crime-fighting duo, Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chole Moretz).
Though he is still unrefined, the two highly qualified superheroes see potential in promising young hero. However, when a local crime boss (Mark Strong) sees the three undermining his business, his son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) takes the initiative to infiltrate their ranks by befriending Kick-Ass.
As far as the video quality goes, there is a disenable difference between the 4k version and previous Blu-ray releases. Though the colors like the yellows and greens get an uptick to help accentuate the details, the blacks still remain a bit fuzzy. Additionally, the wider shots seem less detailed.
But when it comes to the sound quality, it kicks ass, as it is projected with a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD Master Audio track. The smart design allows the sound to travel through the room in a way that makes you feel the bloodshed and pain.
Though the audio and video quality gets an upgrade, the same cannot be said for the bonus features, which offers the generic making of, comic inspiration, commentary, and marketing.
- A New Kind of Superhero: The Making of Kick-Ass
- It’s On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-Ass
- Audio Commentary by Director Matthew Vaughn
- Marketing Archive
- The Art of Kick-Ass Gallery (Blu-ray™ Only)
That being said, the real draw to ‘Kick-Ass’ is the Steelbook design features a bubblegum pop blood splatter cover that will look terrific for anyone who still believes in having physical media. Not only that, but it also comes along with the four collectable cards that come with it. Each card gives baseball card info on the characters including the moniker, their real name, power states, and weapon of choice. It’s actually fun for those who are a fan of collectable cards and the film itself.
Though ‘Kick-Ass’ may not have been a massive box office hit, it is still the kind of bloodly pulp superhero cult classic that can be enjoyed by anyone who is looking to take a break from the major superhero players.
‘Kick-Ass’ 4K Steelbook is available on online stores and whereever 4k media is sold.
Matthew Vaughn’s superhero cult classic ‘Kick-Ass’ arrives on store shelves today. Though not a huge box office hit, the film’s minimalistic approach to the popular genre offered us a gritty look at what the world could be like if filled with humans masquerading as superheroes. Its bloody bubblegum pop aesthetics provided satire and comedic levity that is directly opposite other darker superhero films like Watchmen, which also had a real-world approach to humans becoming vigilantes.
Based on the Mark Millar comic of the same name, Kick-Ass centers on Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor Johnson), an Staten Island, New York ordinary teenager inspired to become a superhero based on the comic books that he reads. After modifying a scuba suit and purchasing a pair of batons, Dave’s first attempt at being a superhero ends in gruesome failure. But after a few months of rehab, he returns to the field and saves a woman in distress. He then names himself “Kick-Ass.”
And in an attempt to woo a high school crush, Kick-Ass responds to a social media request to stop a drug dealer that has been harassing her. But his ambition gets the better of him as the drug dealers thugs overwhelm him. On the verge of death, Kick-Ass is then rescued by the crime-fighting duo, Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chole Moretz).
Though he is still unrefined, the two highly qualified superheroes see potential in the promising young hero. However, when a local crime boss (Mark Strong) sees the three undermining his business, his son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) takes the initiative to infiltrate their ranks by befriending Kick-Ass.
As far as the video quality goes, there is a disenable difference between the 4k version and previous Blu-ray releases. Though the colors like the yellows and greens get an uptick to help accentuate the details, the blacks remain a bit fuzzy. Additionally, the wide shots seem less detailed, and the 4k video seems to enhance that.
But when it comes to the sound quality, it kicks ass, as it is projected with a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD Master Audio track. The smart design allows the sound to travel through the room in a way that makes you feel the bloodshed and pain.
Though the audio and video quality gets an upgrade, the same cannot be said for the bonus features, which offer the generic making of the movie, comic inspiration, commentary, and marketing.
· A New Kind of Superhero: The Making of Kick-Ass
· It’s On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-Ass
· Audio Commentary by Director Matthew Vaughn
· Marketing Archive
· The Art of Kick-Ass Gallery (Blu-ray™ Only)
Though the bonus feature has its drawbacks, there are some aspects about the ‘Kick-Ass’ Steelbook that make it worth your while. The design for the the cover features a bubblegum pop blood splatter is definitely eye-catching. Not only that, but it also comes along with the four collectible cards that come with it. Each card gives baseball card info on the characters, including their respective monikers, their real name, power states, and weapon of choice. It’s fun little extra for those who are a fan of collectible cards and the film itself.
Though ‘Kick-Ass’ may not have been a massive box office hit, it is still the kind of bloody pulp superhero cult classic that can be enjoyed by anyone who is looking to take a break from the major superhero players.
