Director Matthew Vaughn
Genre Action | Adventure | Comedy
Cast Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Julianne Moore, Channing Tatum
Rating R
Release Date September 22nd, 2017
“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.”
Kingsman: The Golden Circle is the sequel to the 2014 film that took audiences by storm, immediately generating an enormous fan base. Director Matthew Vaughan, who got his start with Layer Cake, Kick-Ass (one of my favorites), and X-Men: First Class, returns for the sequel and is yet again credited as co-writing the screenplay. The films are based on a 2014 comic book, The Secret Service: Kingsman, which was written by Kick-Ass comic book writer Matt Millar, the man behind the Watchmen graphic novel Dave Gibbons, and Matthew Vaughn himself. The talented cast includes Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Julianne Moore, Channing Tatum, Colin Firth, Halle Berry, and Jeff Bridges.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle may not succeed in dethroning its predecessor, but a heavy dose of the over-the-top blend of action/comedy that made the first film great will please fans and newcomers. Kingsman: The Secret Service seemingly fell out of the sky in 2014 and quickly became one of my favorite films of the year. I made sure to purchase the Blu-ray on release day and I have easily watched it at least 10 times, it quite simply never gets old. Talk of an inevitable sequel after a strong showing at the box office had me amped up like a teenager after his 5th Mountain Dew. Now to say that I was disappointed with Kingsman: The Golden Circle wouldn’t necessarily be accurate- I just had really high expectations. The first film gained traction thanks to some insane stunts and creative camera work, making for high-octane action scenes rarely seen in film today. Before we even make it to the title screen it becomes clear that the sequel aims to keep that tradition going, by once again moving the audience to the edge of their seats. Although nothing can compare to the church scene in The Secret Service, The Golden Circle does its best to match wits. My primary issue with this sequel compared to the first is the storyline that I considered to be pretty thin in comparison. Now the first film did have the advantage of devoting roughly half of the run-time to Eggsy's origin story, but even considering that it still built itself up to a fantastic "save the world" climax. The Golden Circle remained creative in its approach but it just didn’t hook me in the same way. But again I had very high expectations, and this was still one hell of a ride with plenty of crazy "did you see that?!" scenes as well as an abundance of laugh-out-loud humor. Director Matthew Vaughn is a big reason why both Kingsman films have found so much success, and I respect not only his eye for detail, but also his focus on "escapism" by creating a world that audiences can truly have fun with.
The cast in Kingsman: The Golden Circle is absolutely perfect. Taron Egerton reprises his breakout role and does so in stellar fashion. Egerton was relatively unknown to me prior to Kingsman: The Secret Service and he won me over with the energy and enthusiasm he devotes to his character. He doesn’t miss a single beat in the sequel and I hope to see much more of him going forward. Julianne Moore steps in as the primary villain in The Golden Circle, and even though I can't quite consider her above the memorable role played by Samuel L. Jackson in the first film, she is still pretty damn good. Moore has proven for years that she is a uniquely talented actress (Boogie Nights anyone?), and I applaud the casting decision to bring her on board. Colin Firth is absolutely amazing in The Secret Service, and he picks up where he left off with the sequel. Jeff Bridges (also known as The Dude) has a limited role but as per usual he still manages to make his presence known. The talented and always beautiful Halle Berry fits in nicely with the rest of the cast. Pedro Pascal, who many will recognize from the Netflix series Narcos, is one of the better additions to the sequel as he fits in nicely with the returning cast. Pascal also contributed heavily to some of the more action-packed scenes the first film was known for. Channing Tatum plays a slightly limited role but he is as great as ever when he is on screen. Mark Strong continues with the incredible chemistry he has with the rest of the cast, and even though he has played a ton of great roles in a bunch of fantastic movies, his character in both Kingsman films is right up at the top of the list for me. With arguably one of the best cameo performances ever in film, Elton John is amazing in every way and I would be lying if I didn't admit that he really does steal the show. The musical legend is hilarious each and every time he is on-screen, and the writers do a fantastic job of using his star power to connect the dots between the two films in a unique way. I challenge you to keep a straight face during what can only be known as the "peacock costume fighting scene", because it simply is not possible. Everyone in the supporting cast deserves a big pat on the back as well.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle is one heck of a good time at the theater, and is well worth the extra cost to see in the IMAX if at all possible. The script is admittedly a little thin compared to the first film creating a bit of viewer detachment to the overall plot, but the fun factor Kingsman is known for remains prevalent throughout. Even considering a slight letdown due to my high expectations I still really enjoyed Kingsman: The Golden Circle and can easily recommend it to fans of the first film, as well as anyone willing to jump right in for a few hours of action-packed insanity. Just do yourself a favor and watch the first film if possible because this one picks right up where that one left off. Director Matthew Vaughn's IMDb page already has Kingsman 3 listed, and star Taron Egerton recently alluded to the inevitable 3rd film during an interview with GQ, as he raves about the villain Vaughn is cooking up and says the storyline will blow audiences away. I can't wait!
