And - SNAP! - just like that, 15 years have passed!  Does Kick-Ass stand the test of time?  It certainly does and, Lionsgate Limited, presenting this 15th Anniversary 4K edition of the film, gives us more to celebrate!  More violence!  More kick-ass!  Complete with a SteelBook design which features illustrations of the iconic characters by artist Tracie Ching and hours of new bonus content, this release is the one to own!

Lighter in tone and message than the comic book series of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass manages to deliver a calculated and impressive thump straight into the collective chest of the superhero movie franchise.

Entirely deserving of its early critical praise, this darling of the underground film circuit - especially in its apprehensive position before the release of Iron Man 2 - will certainly find an audience among those who are, to paraphrase 1976's Network, mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore. Indulgent with its expressive violence, Vaughn's third feature (Layer Cake and Stardust came before) is more about its grindhouse than its powerhouse.

Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a mild-mannered teenager with one unbalanced and unchecked obsession: comic books. Perplexingly persistent and maybe a little too determined, Lizewski gets himself a superhero (diving) suit from, of all things, ebay and decides to give crime-fighting a try. The results are predictable (yet never disappointing) and hilariously violent. While injured, Lizewski is adamant about his new-found extracurricular activity and, upon meeting another harebrained vigilante named Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage channeling Adam West) and his 11-year-old daughter, Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz), is more determined than ever at bringing down an evil drug Lord... even when he becomes the talk of the town thanks to YouTube and like-minded faithful followers. The movie, while sounding like a silly American teen comedy, creates a dead-pan reality in its handling of bizzaro comic-book motifs, courtesy of its deliberate design, through its use of violence and gore and treatment of characters. The very premise of Kick-Ass screams of idiocy and, yet, its writers and director play off the insanity by delivering exactly what you expect to happen: total carnage as Lizewski is nearly beaten to death the first night the diving suit is worn.

Kick-Ass, as he is later knighted by his fans, is stabbed in the stomach, smashed in the street by a racing car, and nearly dies; all to the laughter of the audience and discovers, much to his non-super heroic human frame that his tolerance to pain has increased due to damaged nerve endings. As a result of this insanity matched with even more insanity rationale, not only is the movie a great send-off (or love letter) to all things super heroic, but the film definitely plays as rich satire for the more literate crowd. Don't worry, though. Vaughn doesn't squeeze or suck from this analytical lemon too hard. Showcasing some seriously seedy and bad ass action sequences, Kick-Ass also delivers tenfold with the action of a passionate comic book universe. In fact, the film is mostly sensational; all flash and bang pleasure and goes down relatively quickly which should be a great draw for repeat viewership. Kick-Ass is blatant and brassy; it is the gun-toting Dirty Harry of the faster-than-a-speeding-bullet Superhero genre. It's going to upset some and entertain others especially if you like your caped crusaders to be a little more grounded in reality. While some members of the press and public are making social waves with their decrying of the film's treatment of teenagers and of Hit Girl, there is seriously too little to work with here in a script penned by Vaughn and Jane Goldman to ever make a serious argument over; these are comic book thrills for the sake of comic book thrills and right when you recognize something from the real world they take it away. Kick-Ass is the pleasure of a gladiatorial battle... a bloody and brutal spectacle, but an entertaining fight to the death nonetheless.

And now, thanks to Lionsgate Limited, the film can be enjoyed in 4K!

4K Ultra HD + Digital 4K | Lionsgate Limited Exclusive SteelBook

Home Video Distributor: Lionsgate
Available on Blu-ray - May 13, 2025
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Video: Dolby Vision; HDR10
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1; English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; single-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A

Not all superheroes wear capes — some don a customized wet suit and dub themselves Kick-Ass! Based on a beloved comic series, this 15th anniversary release of the twisted, high-octane action-adventure from director Matthew Vaughn (the Kingsman films) follows a comic book-obsessed teen (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who reinvents himself as a crime-fighting hero, with one glaring problem: he has no training or actual superpowers. In a near-death confrontation with a ruthless drug dealer, Kick-Ass is rescued by a pair of costumed, highly skilled vigilantes — Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his daughter, Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz). When they all join forces along with another rookie avenger called Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a brutal mobster and object of Big Daddy’s vengeance pushes their alliance and skills to the brink.

VIDEO

To put it bluntly, this transfer kicks major ass.  Vibrant and bold colors lead the way, and very deep blacks keep this sucker in check.  The image hasn’t been drained or scrubbed of its intended look either, making the film feel like a product of its time, keeping the grit and dirtiness and age appearance intact. This transfer will please even the most skeptic of 4K collectors and fans.

AUDIO

The Dolby Atmos track is a total banger!  But, fans also get a choice between a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and the original DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.  All are good, but I’m leaning toward the Dolby Atmos track.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• See below

Special Features:

The 15th Anniversary 4K edition presented in Dolby Vision HDR with SteelBook art by Tracie Ching features NEW special edition features, including featurettes discussing the art of the movie and the making of this fun flick.

• “Pure Cinematic Fun” Featurette
• “Still Kicking Ass” Featurette
• “The Work of Art” Featurette
• “Physical Media Kicks Ass”
• Teaser Trailer

And Legacy Special Features:

• Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Matthew Vaughn
• A New Kind of Superhero: The Making of Kick-Ass
• Itʼs On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-Ass
• Official Trailer
• “Hit Girl” Official Red Band Trailer

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 117 mins
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Writer: Jane Goldman; Matthew Vaughn; Mark Millar
Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson; Nicolas Cage; Chloë Grace Moretz
Genre: Action | Comedy | Superhero
Tagline: Shut Up. Kick Ass.
Memorable Movie Quote: "With no power comes no responsibility -- except... that wasn't true."
Distributor: Lionsgate
Official Site: https://lionsgatelimited.com/products/kick-ass-4k-steelbook?variant=42900244234351
Release Date: April 16, 2010
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: May 13, 2025
Synopsis: Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a superhero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.