Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Sequels to action comedy films are challenged with following up the success of their predecessors while having to standout on their own. The factors typically involved in that regard include how they advance the story, how the characters are treated, whether it needs to heavily rely on previously established references, how the spectacle will be publicly marketed, etc. The reason to bring this up is that a number of these second entries typically catch the illness known as sequel-itis, in which a movie will say, "Okay the audiences seemed to love these things from the first movie. Let's give them more of the same here and they won't mind." There are some entries that are the rise above this, such as 22 Jump Street and Kung Fu Panda 2, where they are unique in their own right while doing great work for their lead characters. This brings us to the Kingsman film series, an action spy comedy film that took the public by surprise in 2014 for its  style, spy parody and homage structure, and charismatic lead character. The trailers brought in hype for the sequel (despite showing a little too much in the advertisements, which the director disliked) and audiences were excited for the possibilities. The critical reception has been mixed and polarized with accusations of the aforementioned illness involved. After being exposed to the serious tones of the four previous entries reviewed here, I have been craving fun popcorn silliness and watched The Secret Service before The Golden Circle to prepare myself for the experience. I entered the packed auditorium ready for that funny ecstatic feeling and I left the theater liking it for the most part.

*Note: It has been reported that the director Matthew Vaughn has shot 3 hours and 40 minutes of story footage and cut it down to where it is, which will likely be an explanation for the issues I will mention here. And due to the popularity of this series, any spoilers for The Golden Circle will be posted on a separate page for the 2017 retrospective.  

Thoughts on Kingsman: The Secret Service: The plot follows a talented young man being recruited and trained into a potential secret agent of the spy organization, The Kingsman. Watching this felt like an Edgar Wright movie in terms of the likable lead characters, tightly edited action, and well written banter, but then some of the silliness and few stock characters reminded me this was a Matthew Vaughn spy movie parody. It's very enjoyable and refreshing for that genre but the elements that holds it back are token characters not worthing caring about (Roxy) and mostly the villain. To clarify, his plan is very solid and sound once it's explained but when he talks with his lisp, the fact it's Samuel L Jackson sounding almost as silly as Forest Whittaker from Rogue One, and his attire are all just too over-the-top (which is saying something considering how extravagant it can get). Overall it's a spy parody worth watching for it's charm, choreography, and likable lead. ⭑⭑⭑⭑

Plot: The story takes place one year after the events of the predecessor and follows the surviving members of Kingsman teaming up with their American counterparts, The Statesmen, after being critically decimated by a new threat. One of the positives here are the interactions between both groups in how they operate with one another. The things you liked from before are present here and work well within the context of the situation, most of the time. There are pieces of sequel-itis that are used for certain story arcs and while they make the runtime drag, some of them are competently handled to help offset some of the issues. One of the main problems with the plot is in regards to the runtime being drawn out due to pointless character subplots and action pieces. Similar to The Secret Service, it's predictable in how it uses the recognizable spy structure but it lets itself have a fun time along the way. Overall while the fun adventurous tone is spread throughout, the predictably formulated structure has a juggling act with the arcs that work against the few holding it back.

Characters: The characters to focus on are Egsy (Taron Egerton), Poppy Adams (Julianne Moore), Merlin (Mark Strong), and Harry Hart (Colin Firth). Egsy is a Kingsman agent struggling to balance his romantic relationship and the dangerous missions he undergoes to help save the world. Taron is great as the main focus character that allows him to show his range from being emotionally vulnerable with his girlfriend to being charismatic as an operative. Poppy is head of a large drug cartel with nefarious plans for the world. Julianne is having a lot of fun as the charming and goofy main antagonist to the point where she's a better villain than the previous one and even though she doesn't have much screen time, she's a delight to watch. Merlin is a Kingsman tech support agent who assists during the missions and he shines very well in his interactions with Egsy that helps flesh out his role beyond a stock bland one, which is strengthened by Mark's great performance. Harry is a Kingsman member and Egsy's mentor. Colin gives a good portrayal despite how the way he's brought in might make some fans mad, even though it works fine later on (it irked me a little). Honorable mentions go to Whiskey (Pedro Pascal), Tequila (Channing Tatum), and Tilde (Hanna Alstrom) for the formers twos charisma along with their battle scenes (despite Tequila being a stock character) and the latter's adorable chemistry in her relationship with Egsy. Dishonorable mention goes to Ginger (Halle Berry) for being a female token operative with a pointless subplot that drags the pacing of the plot and terrible bland acting*. Overall the characters in Kingsman: The Golden Circle are mixed with the four main leads being compelling and/or delightful to watch while the minor roles tend to noticeably slow down the momentum throughout the film despite their minimal screen time.

Action: Everything silly and cartoony from before is amplified here in terms of excessive action and the laws of physics. The strength of the these sequences is how creative they can get depending on which operative is fighting, what gadgets they are using, and whether they are fighting armed goons or robots (remember this gets cartoony). One thing to keep in mind, for those of you who have seen The Secret Service, there isn't a large scale fight that's on par with the church scene but some of these battles help makeup for it. The difference between these two movies in regards to this section, however, these battles aren't as tightly edited as the those ones were. They feel a little more drawn out with some minor excessive usage of slow motion and could have utilized some fast motion to help fix the issue. An honorable mention goes to opening chase scene. Overall despite needing some tighter editing to help the length of the film, the skirmishes crafted in Kingsman: The Golden Circle increases the variety of combat styles, gadgets, and weapons use while improvising with elements from the environment in an enjoyable manner.

Overall Consensus: Kingsman: The Golden Circle is an entertaining sequel that magnifies the ridiculous creative nature of its predecessor, allows nice character interaction, and awesome physics defying action, despite the long runtime and minor characters. ⭑⭑⭑1/2🎟

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You have see Kingsman: The Secret Service and are interested in how its sequel continues the adventure. You enjoy the spy film genre and  how it's parodied in action comedies. You enjoy watching sequences of insane brawls, shootouts, and car chases. You like watching blood and gore emerge during physical altercations. You like watching popcorn flicks with a crowed auditorium to have fun with. You are a fan of Elton John. You don't mind familiar story structure use in spy movies. You don't mind movies that are over two hours long.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You didn't like Kingsman: The Secret Service. You hate the spy film genre. You dislike watching sequences of insane brawls, shootouts, and car chases. You are sensitive to blood and gore. You dislike watching popcorn flicks with a crowed auditorium to have fun with. You aren't a fan of Elton John. You mind familiar story structure used in spy movies. You don't want to be exhausted by the two hour twenty minute runtime.

Coming up next: September-versary 1: The Movie Menace has finally concluded Screening Spectacles one year anniversary in goofy fashion! It has been quite the ride throughout these entries this past month. Good Time showcased a street hustlers bumbling antics that make things worse, IT was its own menace in trying too much and being a mess in the process, Wind Rivers survival threat was its own unique platform for great character focused interactions, and Kingsman: The Golden Circle has two foes between the exhausting runtime and the delightful drug cartel head. Octobers upcoming movie lineup is still being planned but they will be announced next week on the Facebook page.