I'm a firm believer that the first Kingsman (The Secret Service) film is one of, if not THE most underrated mainstream action film of the last decade. It's so underrated that when I was coming up with my top 10 of that year, I totally forgot it. Not because it wasn't a great film (it was), but because it sort of just slipped through the cracks for me. I look back at that film, and it felt like such a breath of fresh air. In a time when the spy genre had taken a turn to the serious (Daniel Craig's run as Bond and the Bourne films), The Secret Service, went the complete opposite direction. It felt like both an homage and a spoof of the spy genre without ever feeling cheesy or out of place. I think it deserves its place near any list of action movies, and I'm sad to have omitted it from my list.
For those of you who are uninitiated with the Kingsman films, I'll give you a brief refresher. Set in modern day England, the Kingsman are a modern day Knights Of The Round Table. They are an independent agency tasked with saving the world on a regular basis. Taron Egerton plays "Eggsy," the latest recruit to the Kingsman, and he is mentored by Colin Firth's Galahad. In the first film, they were charged with saving the world from the evil mastermind (portrayed against his tough guy image by the wonderful Samuel L. Jackson). Needless to say... the Kingsman prevailed. I don't think that was ever in doubt. BUT, the journey to the end was over the top fun and had at least two all-time great action sequences (the fight through a church in Kentucky & the final battle inside Jackson's evil layer).
The Golden Circle picks up one year after the events of The Secret Service, and wastes no time getting the audience right into the action. After an entertaining opening salvo, we learn that another villain (this time played with absolute devilish delight by the always incredible Julianne Moore) is looking to take over the world. She's developed a secret drug that will kill every millions if the United States government doesn't pay a ransom. I should also mention that most of the Kingsman gets taken out by this group, leaving only Eggsy and Merlin to save the world. They are drawn to Kentucky and their American counterparts, The Statesman (led by Jeff Bridges and an underused Channing Tatum), for help. This group is as over the top "Merica" as you can imagine. They were denim from head to toe, and drink whisky as martinis. I got an absolute kick out of this. Soon enough we realize that they have saved Firth's character from death (it's not a spoiler... he was all over the trailers), but with a twist. He has amnesia. The Kingsman and The Statesman must work quickly to try to find Poppy (Moore) and her hideout (which you have to see to believe). Only she has the antidote for this deadly drug.
As we know from the James Bond movies (especially the Roger Moore series of films), sequels tend to go bigger. But are they necessarily better? I'd argue not necessarily. There's something to behold about simplicity and a good story winning out over. I wouldn't necessarily say that The Secret Service was simple, but it presented a much more coherent storyline. The Golden Circle, while a hell of a lot of fun, tended to go bigger and more absurd, over character development. It's a small complaint, but one that makes me rank this one slightly below the first one. There was a scene on the ski slopes that screamed out "James Bond homage" at the top of its lungs. I didn't mind it, but I'm trying to look at this movie from all angles and see the flaws.
Overall, Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a hell of a good time. Is it better than the first one? No... but that really doesn't matter. It's a great escapist mainstream action movie that I would highly recommend. The action sequences are fun, however none really can compete with the two aforementioned scenes from the first film.
I'm giving The Golden Circle 2.75 stars out of 4. I had a blast. It allowed me to escape from the crap going on in the world for a couple hours... and really, that's all I could ask for. There's a really fun cameo that I won't ruin, but look out for Poppy's entertainment that she's kidnapped and brought to her lair.
No comments:
Post a Comment