Kingsman: The Golden Circle - movie review
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Plot: When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, the Kingsman's journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US. These two elite secret organizations must band together to defeat a common enemy.
Cast: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Taron Egerton
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Certificate: 15 (strong violence, language, sex references, drug misuse)
Runtime: 2hrs 21 mins
Release Date: Wednesday 20th September 2017
"I'm a Catholic whore, currently enjoying congress out of wedlock with my black Jewish boyfriend who works at a military abortion clinic. So, hail Satan, and have a lovely afternoon, madam." This quote from Colin Firth, moments before he took part in a mass execution of a Westboro Baptist Church, perfectly sums up the tone of the Kingsman franchise in general. What started off as a humble spin on the tired and stereotypical preconceptions of British spy films from a bygone era, Kingsman quickly transpired into the quintessential Anti-Bond film whilst, in the meantime, solidifying itself as its own legitimate property without ties to other film series. Considering how the 2015 original smashed all expectations out of the park in both terms of critical reception and box office success, a sequel was sure to be greenlit and put on the fast track lane. And, as luck would have it, three years later, Vaughn and co. have transported us all back into the fantastical and highly illogical world of the Kingsman.
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| Go go gadget grapple-arm. |
One of the shimmering prospects of the Kingsman franchise was that, after witnessing what Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman were capable of conjuring up, the possibilities for future films were limitless. Seeing thousands of people's heads explode into extravagant, technicolour fireworks to the crescendo of Land Of Hope and Glory, one could only assume that the insanity could only increase for a sequel. And, as my assumptions were correctly met, The Golden Circle is a step above and beyond in regards to the sheer gall and levels that the director and screenwriter aren't afraid to wander into. That being said, as a film in itself, The Golden Circle is not on the same calibre as its predecessor. There's no denying that it lives up to the common sequel trait of being bigger in every way imaginable but when it comes to the 'better' part of the turn of phrase, that's where we encounter trouble. Now, it should be said that whilst The Golden Circle has its fair share of flaws, I had an absolute blast watching this film from start to finish so much so that I think many of the downsides can be simply overlooked. It's entertainment sealed in a two hour and twenty minute package. From the get-go, we are immediately catapulted back into the world of the Kingsman with a thrilling taxi chase across the streets of London. Just from the frantic editing, ludicrous circumstances (i.e. a cybernetic arm and submerging cab) and a thumping soundtrack, there was no mistaking that Vaughn has come back to his beloved world with a vengeance. The only issue is that because we start with such a strong re-introduction to the Kingsman, the other action set pieces that follow, whilst imaginative and entertaining to watch, they don't quite reach the excitement as the taxi chase did. However, I could watch Pedro Pascal slicing and dicing foes with a laser lasso all day long and never get bored. And this is where we encounter another strength of The Golden Circle; it's plethora of new characters. For what was already an astonishing cast assembled in The Secret Service ranging from Nick Fury to Luke Skywalker, The Golden Circle has expanded its horizons further across the pond as we are introduced to The Statesman, the American counterparts to our infamous British gentlemen. Making up the Statesmen are some of the best American talent that is currently on offer; Jeff Bridges as the head of the organisation named Champagne although he insists to be called Champ, Halle Berry as the technical whizz Ginger Ale, Channing Tatum as Statesman star Tequila and then the reserved Pedro Pascal as Agent Whiskey. Oh, and if you haven't noticed already, seeing as the Kingsman are named after Knights of the Round Table, Statesman adopt a more alcoholic approach. It's these little nuances and details that goes to show the care and precision Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman have implemented into their world building strategy.
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| Americans will do anything to protect their alcohol. |
FACT: The film's cast includes five Oscar winners: Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Colin Firth, and the one mysterious celebrity cameo.
As already mentioned, The Golden Circle aimed to ramp up everything to the extreme and not apologise for it. The main factor of this insanity is the villain of the film, Julianne Moore as the maniacal and devilishly deranged, Poppy. Strange quirks seem to be a common trait possessed by Kingsman villains. Samuel L. Jackson in the last film adopted an over-the-top lisp and wore clothes you'd expect Vanilla Ice to chill in during the 90s. For the sequel, Moore is certainly giving a performance that you wouldn't have seen from her before but as to whether it's good or not, that still is a cloudy topic. Undeniably, Moore gives it her all and kudos for her not being afraid to ham it up to match the comic book lunacy going on behind her. Unfortunately, she might go a bit too far in her performance as she strays into Looney Tunes land rather than have a permanent fixture in the world of the Kingsman. As for her overall plan, it's certainly unique, as is her base of operations which basically seems like a 1950s enthusiast's wet dream plopped in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, but for a villain that contains so much promise, Moore is drastically underutilised to the point where there is almost a continuous hour where she doesn't even feature. Instead, The Golden Circle delivers numerous side plots that whilst entertaining in their own right, have little effect on the overall story of the film. An awkward encounter at Glastonbury is a prime example of a classic bonkers sequence direct from Kingsman expectations but you have to question its relevance. Thankfully, before we begin to dig too deep into Kingsman's flaws, another action scene rolls around as we get sucked back into this logic defying world with no quarrels in the slightest. With sequences ranging from a cable car going for a swing, an Americanized version of the pub brawl from the first film and an all out chaotic finale, the phrase 'toned down' doesn't apply to The Golden Circle. With that in mind, it's also worth noting that there isn't a scene that comes close to the carnage of the church scene from the first film. The closest we get is a pair of robot dogs controlled by Poppy and a meat grinder that gets a fair share of unpleasant action. Aside from those two instances, the level of violence isn't as extreme as before. On the other hand, the unrealistic portions of the Kingsman world are turned up to 200% and if you choose to follow along with it, then be prepared for a wild ride. If however, you weren't a fan of the bizarre places that the original Kingsman ventured to, I can categorically say that you will not find redemption in this sequel. It nails its balls to the wall and gives zero f**ks. It doesn't even blink twice about displaying some hardcore political commentary that is by no means related in any way shape or form to the current President. Not in the slightest. There is no way in hell that the idiotic representation provided by Bruce Greenwood of the leader of the free world, in any way resembles the wig wearing, Oompa Loompa lookin, toe rag that runs the USA. Fake news...
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| That's what I call cutting edge technology... |
Despite shifting events to the grand ol' USofA, there are still plenty of old familiars that keep Kingsman British through and through. Spearheading the campaign in a, what will soon be iconic, bright orange suit that seems very Austin Powers esque, Taron Egerton brilliantly reprises his role as Eggsy who is now a fully fledged agent for the Kingsman. However, he still hasn't departed from his roots and continually hangs out with his council house mates. Another aspect to Eggsy that was unexpected was his new focus of attention; the Swedish princess who Eggsy fooled around with in the previous film now share a very sweet and endearing relationship that plays a significant part to the film. Egerton once again proves himself to be a charismatic leading man and drive this film forward without contention. Alongside Eggsy is a character whose return has been publicised so for anyone moaning about spoilers, he literally features in the poster! Colin Firth is back as Harry Hart who, due to reasons that I won't reveal and the film struggles to, comes back to life after the brutal headshot given to him by Samuel L. Jackson. Talking about his role too much will give away spoilers so I'll keep it simple and say that Firth is fantastic in the role but this is a different Harry to the one we met in the first film resulting in many questions, testing his loyalty and worrying for his state of mind. However, it was great to see the reconnection between Harry and Eggsy due to the phenomenal chemistry that Firth and Egerton share. That being said, it was Mark Strong who swipes the MVP title away from everyone as Merlin who, for a period of time, shares better chemistry with Egerton than Firth ever had. Strong relishes every scene he's in and it's clear that this is one of his most enjoyable roles of an illustrious career. As for the new kids on the block, the American Statesman are very impressive but whilst there is no contradicting that this is a Kingsman film through and through, I wanted more from Statesman. Seeing as they include some of the best actors working today, I'd have thought that the talent on show would have featured more prominently. Instead, Channing Tatum is almost disregarded as soon as we meet him and Berry and Bridges are good in their roles but their characters aren't meaty enough for them to truly chew on. Fortunately, there is a new face that appears in this sequel and holy moly does it launch into the stratosphere as one of the best uses of a celebrity cameo. For those of you who don't know whom I talking about, I'll keep the mystery secret for now but believe me when I say that nearly every scene he features in had me howling with laughter.
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| The birthday party took a dark turn when there was only one sausage roll left. |
Kingsman: The Golden Circle is not a perfect film. It's not as good as the first one and suffers from a number of flaws. The villain is underdeveloped as is the Statesman. Some of Vaughn's ambitions were too risky and that led to the film feeling slightly rushed to meet the deadline. Taking all of that into consideration, there are often times, when watching a film, that you can discard many of its flaws and sit back in your seat and revel in the madness. Like I said before, this sequel is two hours and twenty minutes of complete and utter entertainment that never produced a dull moment. It is, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable cinematic experiences I've had this year and, with some tinkering, a third entry into the franchise would not be shrugged off by myself.
My Verdict: 8/10
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