Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

If lectures about the side effects of drug use never put you off your substance of choice, then Kingsman: The Golden Circle might finally be what changes your mind. Our favourite young spy is back for a second instalment and he’s not alone; rushing to save us from a villainess and ourselves with all the Kings horses and all the Kings men.

When Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is unexpectedly faced with a foe he thought dead, things quickly go up shits creek starting with a death defying fight within a London Black Cab, and ending with the complete annihilation of the entire Kingsman Secret Service.

Eggsy and Merlin (Mark Strong) are all that’s left of the destruction prevention organisation, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to let the deaths of their friends and colleagues go unavenged. In true clandestine fashion, a clue leads them to Statesman – a distillery in Kentucky that has secrets beneath their barrels, beyond their fermenting whiskey.

With new allies, familiar faces and rumours of a group calling themselves The Golden Circle stirring trouble; the world is in peril once more, and this time it will take both tailored suits and cowboy boots to set things straight.

Right off the bat I liked the fact that when the work day is done, Eggsy goes back to being one of the guys, tracksuits, trainers and all, showing that no matter how good at his job he’s gotten, he’s still Eggsy – foul mouth and all.

Opening the movie with an action scene immediately sets the pace for the movie – there were some pretty cool moves and the fact that most of it took place within a confined space while speeding through the streets of London, amped-up the adrenaline… despite the almost cringingly obvious CGI.

Having an American counterpart was a nice turn of events (though it made no sense that neither knew of the other) and seeing how things was done stateside primarily with their wardrobe and gadgets was an interesting exploration.

I wanted to avoid using the T word but when my sister said it, I couldn’t stop myself from repeating it loudly in agreement. It’s such a disappointment but ultimately guys; this movie was trash.  Yes it was stylish and sleek with some gaudy moments, but ultimately it didn’t add anything to… well anything. It took a step back where is should have taken a step forward, including in the revival of Harry (Colin Firth).

Gosh where to start where to start?

Plot holes, plot holes everywhere and not a drop to drink – When picked apart – which isn’t that difficult to do – this main incidents make the whole story meaningless. The only reason Eggsy was clued in to the existence of The Golden Circle is because The Golden Circle sought him out. Honestly no one was even on to their plans of world domination until they placed a target on their own backs.

What I failed to understand is why it was necessary to kill off the British to make room for the Americans. Being British; the wardrobe, the slang, the attitude is what made Kingsman so unique in the first place and in this movie it was like they sold all of that out to push in a few big name actors that added nothing to the story. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Tatum, Berry and Bridges, but all they succeeded in doing was diluting what made the first movie what it was at its core. I guess they tried to make up for it by distracting us with Elton John – and I admit, it actually did work for a little while.

The main antagonist Poppy (Julianne Moore) I don’t even want to talk about, all I’ll say is that past that creepy/cool burger scene, she should go up in the hall of fame for worst villains ever – tacky golden circle and all.

Despite how well it is doing at the box office and the average reviews it’s getting, I know that at least half of you will agree in saying that Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle was a flop. But heck movies have come back from sequel failures with an epic closing third movie right? – Right?! – Personally (Despite the unnecessary/annoying inclusion of Eggsy’s final scene) I feel like the Kingsman series deserves a chance at redemption – but with a loss of so many great characters and the Britishness that made it what it was; is there even anything to come back too?