DVD Corner

Kick-Ass Blu-ray Review

“Kick-Ass” is well made, but it’s not as fun as the comic book series.

Grades:

Content: B-

Picture: B+

Audio: A

Extras: A

The plot: Tired of the fact that no superheroes exist in the real world, a teen boy named Dave Lizewski decides to become a superhero named Kick-Ass in order to fight crime and clean up the streets. Alas, nothing goes quite as planned for Dave as he finds that he’s in way over his head when he encounters two other professional costumed vigilantes (Hit Girl and Big Daddy) and a crime organization (led by Frank D’Amico) who wants to eliminate the heroes. Will Kick-Ass overcome the odds or will he just get his ass kicked?

During the first 50 or so minutes, I was having a blast with “Kick-Ass” because it was a spot on adaptation of the comic book series. Chloe Mortez (Hitgirl), Nicolas Cage (as an Adam West esque Big Daddy), Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Red Mist) effortlessly brought their characters to life and it was a real pleasure to see as I loved the comic series. Unfortunately, after the hour mark rolls around, the movie falls apart. Perhaps I was biased in wanting the film to be a direct adaptation of the comics, but I did not care for the changes made to the story in the film. To me, the kidnap scene, the early reveal of who the Red Mist is, the toned down violence, the rushed romantic subplot, the rocket launcher, and the jet pack felt entirely out of place. The second half of the story simply flowed better in the comics and didn’t feel so clunky and forced. Hopefully, if the film sequel does get made, it will be closer to the upcoming comic sequel dubbed “Balls To The Wall.”

Summary: “Kick-Ass” is definitely worth a rent, but I just wish it had a better second half.

The 2.40:1 1080p picture quality is good, but some of the colors looked a little TOO bright. For instance, the skin tones were abnormally bright as were the sunlit sequences.

The 7.1 DTS-HD is rich in sound. The music, dialogue, action set pieces all sound flawless.

Extras:

* DVD copy.
* Digital copy.
* Storyboards, on set photography, costume pictures, John Romita Jr. art for the film, and production design stills.
* Theatrical and Red Band trailers and poster galleries.
* D-Box, BD Touch (iPhone app.), Metamenu, and Lionsgate Live/BD-Live capabilities.
* Ass-Kicking BonusView Mode- A video commentary by Matthew Vaughn in an editing bay. Behind-the-scenes footage is also included. Worth checking out. Viewers can also listen to the commentary in audio form, but it’s far better to watch the BonusView mode.
* “A New Kind Of Superhero: The Making Of Kick-Ass”- A fantastic in-depth 4 part making of that covers the inception of the comic, the cast, the production of the film, editing, visual f/x, etc. Loads of interviews and behind-the-scenes footage is included.

* “It’s On! The Comic Book Origin Of Kick-Ass”- Writer Mark Millar, artist John Romita Jr., colorist Dean White talk about the great “Kick-Ass” comic book series.

August 2, 2010 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Chloe Mortez, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kick-Ass Blu-ray Review, Nicolas Cage