Kick-Ass - Blu-Ray

Film: Comic books and superheroes - a world that has become increasingly popular in recent years, even in the cinema. However, it's also led to some wear and tear on the genre, making a little breath of fresh air more than necessary. And so Matthew Vaughn's "Kick-Ass", based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar ("Wanted"), comes at just the right time. "Kick-Ass" is original, wonderfully politically incorrect, extremely bloody, and funny as hell.

Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is an unassuming, completely average teenager who is barely noticed by those around him. A big fan of comic books, Dave one day questions why no one has come up with the idea of being a masked superhero to keep law and order. After all, there are plenty of superheroes in his comic books who put bad guys in their place night after night, even without supernatural powers. And so Dave decides to become the first real superhero - with fatal consequences.

But Dave aka "Kick-Ass" is not so easily discouraged. After becoming an Internet sensation following his first successful fight, he soon gets company from a very special duo: 11-year-old "Hit Girl" (Chloë Moretz) and her father "Big Daddy" (Nicholas Cage), who are out to put a stop to underworld boss Frank D`Amico (Mark Strong). But the duo's extremely bloody battles, the appearance of another superhero named "Red Mist" (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and the fight for the heart of his dream girl Katie (Lyndsy Fonesca) just become too much for Dave and he thinks about hanging up his superhero costume again.

After "The Star Wanderer", a romantic fairy tale for adults, Matthew Vaughn presents a much more drastic and unromantic side with his latest film. His film adaptation of the graphic novel "Kick-Ass" is, at least for genre fans with an understanding of bitter irony and sarcasm, certainly already one of the highlights of the film year 2010. Vaughn goes, much like Millar's comic, not exactly squeamish to the point. Body parts are blithely cut off, heads are shot to a pulp and villains are insulted in the worst way - and all this by an 11-year-old girl. Many viewers might immediately sound a moral alarm bell here - but that's really not necessary. Because "Kick-Ass" is so obviously over the top that probably no child (who shouldn't see the film anyway) will take the events here as a model. Even the FSK, which is usually so squeamish about vigilante justice and head shots, has acknowledged this and given the film a 16 rating in the uncut version. Admittedly, this is a bit surprising, but on reflection it is absolutely appropriate.

Because "Kick-Ass" has only one goal, and it is uncompromisingly pursued from the first to the last second: the film wants to be fun. And Matthew Vaughn has succeeded in this mission first class. What's more: his version of the story is even a bit more coherent and entertaining in the end than the comic book original - not a matter of course either. This is thanks not only to some small but significant changes to the story's progression (especially in regards to Dave's dream girl), but also to the great cast.

Aaron Johnson, who was nominated for a BAFTA in 2009 for his performance as a young John Lennon in the film "Nowhere Boy", is the perfect incarnation of Kick-Ass. He is the perfect "Nerd" who, even in a self-tailored superhero costume, doesn't suddenly transform into a muscle-bound Adonis, but always remains the lanky kid who loves his comic books and doesn't want to die before he knows the end of "Lost" (a wish the writer of these lines can relate to all too well).

At Johnson's side, Chloë Moretz especially shines as Hit Girl, providing some of the film's greatest moments. Moretz, who was last seen in the wonderful "(500) Days of Summer" (out now on DVD - be sure to check it out!), embodies the mix of childlike joy and ice-cold fighting spirit with terrific conviction. This is intensified by her great chemistry with her film father Nicholas Cage, who delivers one of his best performances in years here. In themselves, Hit Girl and Big Daddy could have carried the film all by themselves, so wonderful is this unusual superhero duo. But because the other characters, from Dave's best friends to supervillain Mark Strong ("Sherlock Holmes"), are so accomplished as well, it's entirely fitting that the two have become just one important part of a great whole.

Matthew Vaughn calls "Kick-Ass"itself a declaration of love for comic books - and that's right on the money. It's a movie made by a fan for fans, who get all the things you'd expect from a good comic book: cool patter, a likable hero, a thrilling story, humor and completely over-the-top violence. Accompanied by a great soundtrack, "Kick-Ass" is close to being a perfect comic book movie, despite minor flaws in the final act. One of the most entertaining genre films of recent times is the work but all the same and therefore also: absolutely worth seeing!!!

Picture + Sound: The colors of the film are according to the comic template sometimes heavily alienated. The same also applies to the sometimes somewhat exaggerated contrasts. The overall impression is not negatively affected by this, however. Because the overall very clean picture pleases especially with a high detail sharpness. The sound, dominated by the dialogues and the great soundtrack, unfolds only in a few moments its full dynamics and a certain spatiality, but remains overall rather unspectacular.

Extras: At first glance, it does not look like the inclined viewer is offered much extras here. But the appearance is deceptive. Because alone the Making of is with 114 minutes almost as long, as the main film and shows on the basis of many behind-the-scenes shots and interviews, how this was created. With a little self-deprecating wink and plenty of moments worth watching, this multi-part documentary has become absolutely worth watching.

Furthermore, there is a rather informative but somewhat sluggishly narrated audio commentary by the director (who had just finished the exhausting world premiere when the commentary was recorded), a nearly 20-minute featurette on the comic book origins of the film, and image galleries of exclusive artwork, storyboards, and designs.

Conclusion: "Kick-Ass" is a wonderfully wicked comic book movie that will hopefully get the success on DVD and Blu-ray that it was denied in theaters. Technically, the disc is on a very high level and among the extras, the great and extra long making of stands out positively. Absolutely recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp