Film of the Week: The Kingsman – The Golden Circle

Warning: Strong spoilers. Do not read if you haven’t watched the film.

I knew it would be hard to make a sequel that’s on par with the first Kingsman, but I’m pleased to say they came close. The film has had a lot of effort put into making it entertaining, and it certainly delivers. It’s the exact same style as the one before, so it’s gory, action-packed, and silly – and we see it all via creative camera angles that give the impression of shaky-cam, but are in fact still enough so you pay attention to everything that’s going on without missing a thing, keeping you hooked and entertained.

The first film was pure entertainment. It ramped up everything to eleven. Instead of expecting and assuming the sequel would disappoint, I had faith that the writer and director, Matthew Vaughn would make a film that’s just as awesome as the one before, and they did. My only criticism is that it was a little slow in the middle, and comparing that to the first where the entire film moved at the same pace throughout – fast and energetic – it was something that I had to get used to, but when it picked up the pace, we were right back in familiar territory.

The first hurdle I knew they had to tackle when making this whether they should attempt topping the church scene from the first movie. Nothing came close to beating that scene, nor did they do anything similar, and I’m glad they made that decision. This sequel isn’t about being better that the predecessor, but instead just to have fun and continue the story, which they did.

What shocked me the most about the film was how they killed Roxy, one of the main characters from the last film, off at the beginning of the film, and to be honest, I was expecting her to return right at the end. Eggsy would be in some danger and she would appear out of nowhere saving his live. That’s the clichéd way of doing things. We saw her leap off the bed, so obviously she was heading towards some escape route or safe place within the mansion. In a way, by killing Roxy off and making me/us believe that she might come back but ultimately doesn’t is a nice way of breaking that tradition. I would be delighted if she did return because of the unexpected nature of her death, but the fact that she doesn’t shows it is possible to break clichés and make a good film.

And of course, Mervin sacrificing himself was also unexpected, but fundamentally his character right down to the core. If they do make a third movie, he would be missed, mainly because his chemistry with everyone else was enjoyable to watch every single time he was on screen.

The big question was how Colin Firth would come back, whether it was a different character or who he played in the first movie. The answer was filled to the brim with science and, being with that identity of being a spoof of certain action movies, mainly the James Bond franchise, that answer starts to make more sense with that world, instead of something that you’re meant to believe is possible in the real world.

I can’t really talk about this movie without saying how awesome Elton John was in every scene he appeared in. Playing a fictionalised version of himself, it was hilarious, and he certainly takes one of the top scenes when he was doing a flying kick towards a henchman, making sure he steels a quick smile at the camera.

In conclusion, this film has the same atmosphere as the one before, and doesn’t change anything but instead expands on the already established world – which makes the overall film nether better or worse than the one before, but instead the same. It’s a whole bunch of fun.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)