Excerpt From our original review of Kick-Ass:
"Adapted from the eight-issue Marvel/Icon comic, created by Mark Millar, drawn by John Romita Jr, Kick-Ass stays fairly true to its origins (of course, there are some changes from paper to film, it's to be expected), and paints the comic genre with great love and respect, and for that, I love and respect it. We get comic panels every now and then, for expository jumps, and even see a sequence of the film shown in comic form, much like how Kill Bill: Vol 1 changed things around by throwing in an anime chapter. This is a world existing in our world, where superhero comics, television shows, and movies are a part of society (not like some alternate universe where it never existed before it was brought up within the film, a growing paradox in my favorite sub-genre, the zombie horror), where heroes advertise on Myspace. It's a world probably too much like our own, with such sensationalized violence and carnage, with little remorse.
That has to be emphasized. Kick-Ass is over-the-top violent and gory, in every way the Punisher films wish they could be, without feeling campy. Brutal, disgusting kills are the norm, even if they aren't Kick-Ass's method. But for every bit of violence, including that inflicted by and upon a little girl, there's a good laugh or piece of social commentary that puts it back in the realm of the acceptable and believable. Perhaps the most interesting bit of commentary is the manner in which we see Big Daddy when he isn't in costume. He's a loving, doting father, but he's taught his daughter the wrong, so very wrong way, and their relationship is truly something marvelous, solely for its daringness."
Vital Disc Stats: The 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook
Celebrating 10 years - Kick-Ass leaps back into action on 4K UHD Blu-ray with a new SteelBook package exclusive to Best Buy. There's nothing new to the set. The discs are exactly the same 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital sets as before - only now you get colorful comic book-themed artwork and four character collector cards to go along with your movies. The discs each get their own trays to occupy without being stacked on top of each other.
Excerpt From our original review of Kick-Ass on 4K UHD Blu-ray:
"Kick-Ass aims to ramp up its hyper-stylized visuals onto 4K Ultra HD with a 2160p HEVC/H.265 encode and does a decent job at it. I was not a fan of the initial Blu-ray in terms of video quality -- its blown out, saturated visuals rendered the image softer and flatter than a normal release at its time, leaving very little depth. So, I took a trip to see this 4K version on a professionally calibrated LG OLED65C7P with Dolby Vision capabilities to ensure that I was getting the best viewing experience. Immediately, there was quite a noticeable difference in sharpness as I watched Dave walk into his school during the intro. The stark yellow color palette of the bricks behind him separated from the image quite nicely leaving a more sharp, detailed viewing experience that lasted throughout. Pick any scene and you will have a noticeably more accurate representation of the 2010 theatrical viewing experience."
Excerpt From our original review of Kick-Ass on 4K UHD Blu-ray:
"Kick-Ass leaves you as a bloody pulp on Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos track (that decodes into Dolby TrueHD 7.1) that, let’s be real people, is the reason we were waiting for this 4K Blu-ray. This is the biggest upgrade on this release. Every bone-crushing punch is so well balanced between the fronts and the sub, it is phenomenal. In a Heartbeat is a theme song that has been used in multiple films, but never as fully utilized as here, with a wide and expansive feeling. Uppers get a decent workout, being mostly relegated to the score. Luckily that isn’t a negative due to the fact that they are masterfully mixed to stick out from the rest of the mix so that we always get activity through them. There is also one other instance during Dave’s second fight where Dave gets pummeled in first person POV that offered a bit of action in the height speakers and a few others, but those are few and far between. Still the gleeful violence the film portrays feels expansive in a sound field that comes across as endless. This is truly a step up from its standard counterpart, and is the reason to buy this release."
Where were you 10 years ago? Possibly at the theater to watch Kick-Ass! Now to celebrate a decade, Lionsgate has teamed up with Best Buy to give fans a fancy splashy 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook. The new artwork looks great and fits with the movie but also its comic book origins. The discs are the exact same as before, but now you get cool packaging and some collector cards to go with it. If you already had the previous 4K UHD set, there's nothing new here to pick up. However, if you didn't own Kick-Ass already, or if you're a rabid SteelBook hunter - this one will look great on the shelf. Recommended.
