When the Kingsman are nearly wiped out, the surviving agents turn to
their United States counterparts for help preventing global catastrophe. ACTION/COMEDY
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Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Written by Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn Starring Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Pedro Pascal, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Edward Holcroft, Hanna Alström, Elton John, Poppy Delevingne, Bruce Greenwood, Emily Watson Sequel to 2015's Kingsman: The Secret Service Based on the comic book by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons |
The first Kingsman was a happy accident. It defied expectations and became one of the biggest underground hits of the decade. Of course, a sequel was greenlit almost immediately, but word spread around that it wasn't nearly as good as the first one. In fact, the initial assessment was that it just plain sucked. It was called gratuitous and over-ambitious. In this review, I plan to explain not only why these accusations are inaccurate, but also why this movie excels at what it aims to accomplish. The Golden Circle is a fantastic sequel that expands on the interesting mythology of the Kingsman universe and continues the franchise's trend of over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek action comedy.
The film begins with the global destruction of every Kingsman property and agent, with Eggsy and Merlin being the sole survivors. Together, they head to the United States to seek out the Statesman, their U.S. counterparts who agree to help them fight Poppy (Julianne Moore), a drug lord who plans to hold the world hostage. The Statesman were a great addition to the franchise, with their southern charm and obsession with booze. Jeff Bridges leads them as Champ, in an all too brief appearance. Seeing them interact with the Kingsman was the highlight of the movie, apart from the miraculous return of Colin Firth as Harry Hart. His return may undermine his death in the first movie, but it's nice to have him back all the same. I enjoyed every second of this sequel, which sought only to expand on this charming, quirky universe that Matthew Vaughn has so tremendously translated from page to screen. The characters are fun to watch and the action sequences are still unbelievable. I can't wait for Kingsman 3, which will no doubt be a perfect cap on a franchise that clearly shows no signs of stopping. |