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Yet the average-kid-turned-superhero flick earned just $48 million at the box office, a decent return for an indie made for roughly $30 million but hardly the kind of revenue that signals a pop-culture phenomenon.

But perhaps "Kick-Ass" -- out this week on DVD ($29.95) and in a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack ($39.99) -- will reach that status now that it's available for home-entertainment consumption. Any mature comic-book geek or action-movie fan who missed this spunky, ultra-kinetic and, yes, ferociously violent flick should grab the opportunity to discover its giddy, fight-the-power fun. The story of a nerdy high schooler (Aaron Johnson) who calls himself Kick-Ass, jump-starts a vigilante justice movement and inadvertently becomes a YouTube sensation could be the year's freshest work of superhero cinema. But please note that this gunfire-fueled film is for mature audiences; given its content, young and/or squeamish viewers should avoid this one.

"Kick-Ass" may be more thrilling when viewed in a cineplex, but the movie still makes a pretty satisfying leap to disc, especially in the Blu-ray format, where the shadowy nighttime action and kapow of all that comic-book imagery looks particularly sharp. The Blu-ray pack -- which comes with the standard DVD as well as a digital copy of the film -- also contains strong special features, most notably the feature-length documentary "A New Kind of Superhero: The Making of 'Kick-Ass.' "

A detailed, nearly two-hour tracing of the movie's evolution -- from director Matthew Vaughn's failed attempts to find studio backing to the pop-artistry of the production design and the pre-release arguments over how to fix a sludgy sound mix -- the documentary is remarkably comprehensive. Some moments drag; in fact, like much of "Kick-Ass," the more fascinating parts focus on Moretz and her portrayal of Hit-Girl. There is something simultaneously charming and vaguely troubling about watching the young actress as she learns how to juggle weapons one minute, then happily announces that she has lost a tooth the next. (Same goes for a comment from Moretz's mother, Teri, who notes with a laugh that her daughter is learning "everything you need to know to be a little assassin at 11.")

Other extras on both DVD and Blu-ray versions include a so-so featurette about the Mark Millar comic that inspired the film; a series of production galleries; and an occasionally engaging audio commentary from Vaughn in which he admits, among other things, that although he "did this movie for free," his contract stipulated that he could keep the sporty red-and-black car driven by Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).

The Blu-ray also delivers an option to view the film in what Lionsgate dubs "Ass-Kicking Bonus View Mode," a feature that, via multiple picture-in-picture images, marries Vaughn's commentary with behind-the-scenes footage and other cast and crew interviews that roll alongside the film. It's very cool, if not thoroughly butt-kicking. But that's fine. The only thing that really needs to kick some serious A is the movie itself. And it does, in a bold, hilarious, borderline offensive way.