Kick-@@@ - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Lionsgate continues on with their seemingly random “pick and choose” method of going through their old catalog titles and choosing films seemingly at random to promote for their UHD lineup. Films like The Legend of Hercules and Conan: The Barbarian class with actually PROFITABLE movies like this one here, so I have NO idea of the criteria used for choosing titles for release. However, Matthew Vaughn’s first attempt at a comic book film would not be his last, but it is his most off the wall and completely bizarre film yet. I originally rated it as being a 4.5/5 film when I initially saw the movie some 7 years ago, but as time has turned on the giant hamster wheel that we call life, so has my opinions on the film. I still enjoy the movie for what it is, a wild and irreverent comic book romp that certainly earns its R-rating. But what seemed like comic brilliance at the time to me, feels much more simplistic as I’ve gotten older.

What makes this film really work is the abundance of effort used by Vaughn to come close to Mark Millar’s ultra violent graphic novel as possible, while still not going TOO overboard in the grotesqueness. Honestly, Vaughn’s film is much tamer than the comics in many ways, and that actually works for the betterment of the film due to the fact that this was a movie that really pushed enough people’s buttons as it was when it came out theatrically. It’s never truly faithful to the comics themselves, but fits in perfectly with the film world, while taking enough from the graphic novels to really work on screen.

After basically just walking through his high school existence like most loners and “losers” do, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) finally has enough of just putzing around his whole life. He wants to be a hero and get stuff done. So, he dons a green and yellow jumpsuit and goes out into the world to become a superhero. However, all he really manages to do is to save a few old lady’s cats, get into trouble, and get his head busted open when he actually tries to stand up to some gangbangers. That is until he meets a REAL team of vigilantes in the form of father/daughter Damon (Cage) and Mindy, e.g .Hitgirl (Chloe Grace Moretz). They try and dissuade him from going into crime fighting as they know what the REAL cost of this life is, but Dave persists, leaving Hitgirl no choice but to give him some real world training (which ends in hilariously brutal results).

Unfortunately Dave’s adventures in the world of crime fighting has become a bit troublesome for Mob boss Frank D’amico (Mark Strong), so he sends his nerdy son Chris (Mintz-Plasse) into the new crop-up of wannabe superheros in order to draw Dave out. The plan naturally works, but it fails to fully grasp the severity of the situation. Damon is slaughtered in the upcoming retribution, leaving only Dave and Hitgirl alive, but even though they’re simple children, Frank didn’t count on Mindy’s single minded devotion to the cause as well as how well her father had trained her. Leaving himself open for a bloody revenge confrontation that will rock the crime family to its core.

The film is a bloody entertaining tale, but not for the faint of heart. I never saw the red band trailer when the film first came out, so I assumed Kick-@@@ was a simple comic book movie with nothing but a cheap knock off of so many other ones, but it is delightfully unique if you’re not squeamish about brutal bloody violence (involving a young girl, which actually had a lot of people up in arms with the movie hit theaters), harsh language and an irreverent look at the comic book world. In some ways it seems exploitative in nature, but Vaughn and Millar explore the harsh realities of vigilantism in the same darkly humorous light that The Watchmen did years earlier. It’s more a warning of the cost of going out there to fight crime outside the system, and what it does, rather than pure glorification. Although Vaughn sometimes loses that distinction at times, something the graphic novel was VERY insistent upon throughout the writings.




Rating:

Rated R by the MPAA




Video:

Lionsgate catalog titles can be hit or miss in terms of upgrade quality, but here I can honestly say that the uptick in quality is rather impressive. The film is one of the few to come with Dolby vision (sadly I can’t review that aspect of the film just yet until I upgrade my player in the next few months), and looks really impressive in all of its UHD glory. Colors are heavily stylized and graded here, with deep blacks that seem to always be on the verge of crushing (it was supposedly a technique employed by Vaughn according to sources and NOT an encoding error), as well as overly bright primary shots. Blood splatters and the purple hair of Hit Girl pop with a pulsating energy off the screen, and the bright green of our heroes costume is almost intense in its saturation levels. Fine details are well done, with sharp lines around the costumes and no signs of digital artifacting. Watch the intricate detailing along the rocket launcher, or the scattered wood chips and shavings along the floor after the huge shoot out at the end. There is some mild softness that keeps this 2K upconvert from looking completely demo worthy, but I found it a satisfactory upgrade over the Blu-rays already stellar looking encode.





Audio:

Kick-@@@ has always been a killer audio mix on the old Blu-ray, and I would have given it a 5/5 rating back in the day. However, the new Atmos mix really kicks it up a notch and adds a spaciousness and incredible use of surround and overheads to make it a more encompassing feeling. The sound of the narration floating overhead is impeccably placed, as well as bullet and gunshots ringing from all directions. The whoosh of the rocket launcher at the end shifts from one side of the sound stage to another, and ends with a thunderous explosion of LFE and sparkling debris sounds in the front of the room. Vocals are well placed and are just as good as the Blu-ray, and the constant use of heavy bass makes for a rocking audio mix.








Extras:

on 4K UHD Disc Only
• "A New Kind of Superhero: The Making of Kick-@@@" 4-Part Documentary
• "It's On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-@@@" Featurette
• Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Matthew Vaughn
• Marketing Archive

On Blu-ray only
• Bonus View Mode (Blu-ray Disc Exclusive) – Synchronous with the feature film, this innovative multi-media presentation incorporates video and audio commentary, behind-the-scenes clips and illustrative graphics with Co-Writer/Producer/Director Matthew Vaughn, plus cast and crew providing an all-access perspective on Kick-
• "The Art of Kick-@@@" Gallery

Final Score: ​

As I said, Lionsgate has not ALWAYS delivered fantastic upgrades in visual or audio clarity for some of their UHD titles, but this is one of the goodies. Great visuals, wonderfully styles to take advantage of the newer color spectrum changes, and a sonic upgrade that makes the purchase worth it. Like most UHD catalog titles we’re looking at all of the extras still being the same ported ones from the Blu-ray, but I still find the audio and video upgrades worth the price of admission. If you’re a fan of the bloody, irreverent, and almost perverse comic book film, then this is easily the best version available. Good for a bloody fun watch.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Grace Moretz
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Written by: Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 HEVC
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), French DD 5.1, English DD 2.0
Studio: Lionsgate
Rated: R
Runtime: 117 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 3rd, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Bloody Good Time