"Kingsman: The Golden Circle" picks up one year after the events of the previous film, with Eggsy (Egerton) now operating as Galahad and living with his Swedish princess Tilde (Hanna Alström). After being ambushed by a Kingsman reject, Eggsy escapes and heads to Sweden to meet Tilde's parents. However, a cybernetic enhancement belonging to the reject has hacked into the Kingsman data vaults, revealing the locations of all operatives, which leads to their destruction by Poppy (Moore), the leader of the mysterious group "The Golden Circle." Eggsy and Merlin (Strong) team up with their US counterparts, the Statesman, to take down the Golden Circle and save the world. The sequel is filled with action and boasts a solid cast, although it doesn't quite match the heights of its predecessor. There's a balance between comedy and drama and the action scenes are impressive, but pacing issues and the underutilization of some characters prevent it from reaching its full potential.
"Kingsman: The Golden Circle" comienza un año después de los eventos de la película anterior, con Eggsy (Egerton) ahora operando como Galahad y viviendo con su princesa sueca Tilde (Hanna Alström). Después de ser emboscado por un rechazo de Kingsman, Eggsy escapa y se dirige a Suecia para encontrarse con los padres de Tilde. Sin embargo, una mejora cibernética perteneciente al rechazo ha pirateado las bóvedas de datos de Kingsman, revelando las ubicaciones de todos los operativos, lo que conduce a su destrucción por parte de Poppy (Moore), la líder del misterioso grupo "The Golden Circle". Eggsy y Merlin (Strong) se unen a sus contrapartes estadounidenses, Statesman, para acabar con el Círculo Dorado y salvar el mundo. La secuela está llena de acción y cuenta con un elenco sólido, aunque no alcanza las alturas de su predecesor. Hay un equilibrio entre la comedia y el drama y las escenas de acción son impresionantes, pero los problemas de ritmo y la infrautilización de algunos personajes impiden que alcance todo su potencial.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle is not as good as the first one, but that’s not too surprising, sequels rarely are. But it still manages to be a very entertaining movie and a great way to pass an evening.
The cast all did very well in my opinion. Egerton was great as Eggsy and I can say the same as the other actors from the original Kingsman. Loved Colin Firth, even though he had a smaller part this time around. The new entries were good too; I liked Julianne Moore’s villain and Pedro Pascal as Whiskey. The Elton John’s cameo was fun at first, but a tad overdone by the end, I feel like.
The story was not as fun as the first one. Still quite entertaining, but a bit weaker and sillier overall. Thankfully the fight scenes were as good as the ones in the original Kingsman; very well choreographed and extremely fun to watch.
I read some criticism regarding the love story between Eggsy and Princess Tilde, but I have to say that I enjoyed that part of the movie. It was a nice subversion of the classical Bond trope where he gets the girl and then she’s gone the next movie. One thing I didn’t like is how they got rid of Roxy so fast. I wish she had more of a part in this one.
If you enjoyed the first one, I think you’ll like Kingsman: The Golden Circle. It is a “more of the same” but it’s still very well done and fun to watch.
7/10
In my mind the first one was way more serious, this one is way more like a parody. There are androids, people ending up in burgers, an electric lasso, etc. If you expect a interesting twist on spy movies, nah. But as a comedy, it's a big pack of wtf fun, served by excellent actors performances.
Be it Julianne Moore's villain, the short small but great parts of Champ and agent Tequila, of course Colin Firth though he's not the focus, and the extraordinary agent Whiskey, hard to tell who's the most enjoyable to watch. Even the smaller roles are good.
And thankfully so, because sadly the same can't be said about the main protagonist. Taron Egerton's Eggsy is just absolutely unpalatable. I am unable to say if it is due to the performance or the character itself, but this was annoying from start to finish.
Can't say I cared much for the whole Elton John thing either.
Fx are ok, it's a good thing cause they are almost omnipresent. The fight scenes can be fun, but are a bit too extravagant and the execution is not good enough that you don't notice it as a defect.
Story is a bit simple but the whole concept of the twin agency in the US and what it is like and the people there, it's just brilliant, makes for most of the fun of the movie. I'm totally up for a Statesman spin-off.
If it was to be taken a bit more seriously, there are several deeper questions that are brushed over. First we have this secret agency acting on its own, explicitly against the order of the duly elected leader of the country.
Even if the president's decision are immoral, should it be really up to them to decide ?
The president's actions seem to be based on the principle that "if they didn't want to die, the should not have broken the law", sick people even ending up imprisoned. However, even in the US using drugs is not a crime, even though everything around it is. (Actually, wasn't cannabis already legalized in some states at the time the movie was released ?) Doesn't look like there was any trial either, and not sure how they end up being released when the antidote drones arrive.
Not even talking about the people in other countries' laws, some where this would actually legal, and most where nothing is punishable by death.
Seeing past events, the most unbelievable fiction is actually the ending. A president that would kill millions of people for bigoted political interest: sure. But that its party would let him be impeached and it would have actual consequences: what kind of world is that ?
Kingsman: The Golden Circle falls into some of the same traps as 2014's Kingsman: The Secret Service, but manages to salvage the story in much the same way as the original.
Picking up the story of british secret agent Galahad, aka Eggsy (Taron Egerton), Golden Circle introduces a number of new characters starting with the new villain/drug lord Poppy (Julianne Moore). After the Kingsman organization is attacked, Eggsy and Merlin (Mark Strong) seek help from a related organization called Statesmen, based in Kentucky. Here they meet American agents Tequila (Channing Tatum), Whiskey (Pedro Pascal), Champagne "Champ" (Jeff Bridges), and Ginger Ale (Halle Berry).
The two agencies combine forces to find and fight against Poppy's evil plan to hold a enormous swath of the human population hostage through the drugs she distributes around the world. As with any good spy flick, there are plenty of misdirections and some double crosses before finally figuring out where all the allegiances lie.
Two things work against this film. First, the lengthy cast list. I already mentioned a number of them above and it feels like some of these roles were put in just for the sake of developing a part for the actors that inhabit them. Don't get me wrong, they are all great in these roles, just not all entirely necessary.
Secondly, it's a bit long for a popcorn flick like this. There are moments when it feels like it's trying to take itself seriously like a Bond film, but then other moments when it knows full well that it's a campy romp. If it was serious throughout, it may have justified the longer run time, but as something fun, it would have worked better by losing 25-30 minutes.
That said, the campiness ends up working in the end. Most of the action scenes are so over the top that you just have to sit back and enjoy the insanity of what's happening on screen. Realizing that these stories are based on comics makes it a little easier to swallow. The action is very reminiscent of comic books and that makes it feel OK in the end.
While Golden Circle is not a great film, it is a fun adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
6 out of 10
"F**k you!" - Quote by Academy Award Wining Elton John
I remembered back on it's release of the first Kingsman and how refreshing it was. Nothing about it broke any ground and isn't flawless, but manages to have a unique quality by taking well known troops in spy movies, and putting it's own spin. The villain was threatening, another underdog story and it following old spy tropes. Basically things that could've been bad if put in the wrong hands, turned into a surprise hit.
"The Golden Circle" on the other hand is pretty much the adult version of Spy Kids. It focus more on jokes than brains. It dose what every sequel dose and that's try to be bigger and bolder. To be honest, it doesn't feel like Matthew Vaughn directed this and he normally avoids sequels, I now know why. Despite it not fully living up to the first, I still found enjoyment within the stupidity.
Landing more into the guilty pleasure side of things.
Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, and maybe Elton John were the highlights of the movie. Since Firth is absence for half of the movie, Egerton and Strong fill in that lovable chemistry that was in the first. Giving everything their got. And of course Elton John was great like always.
Colin Firth and the character Harry Hart are what made the first film so great. Not the usual type casting for an actor like Firth and it surprised many of us. As I said before, he's mostly absence for half of the film until he finally comes back when the plot needs him. The whole thing with him being shot in the eye, however in the first movie you can clearly see the bullet going through his head and the idea of a evil twin brother doesn't sound too bad. Anywhere, none of it makes sense, but I'm glad to see him back even if he didn't do much.
The actions scenes are once again top notch, especially the car chase at the beginning and final sentence. A little bit too quick to see things at times and I wish they was some build up behind it.
While not as compelling as Samuel L. Jackson character, but Julianne Moore was pretty decent as the villain. Of course Moore puts it all into everything shes in. Playing the psychotic housewife stuck in the 50's and doing some graphic things to get her way. It's weird there's a point in the film where she completely disappears only to re-appear in the third act, and I forget she was in this at one point.
The same goes with Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, and Jeff Bridges who are barley in the film. I heard there's a longer cut of the movie and I wonder if any of them had extra scenes, because who knows until actually get something. I mean, isn't Vinnie Jones suppose to be in this?
The plot itself when reading it out doesn't sound like a real movie. Some have already said it's self aware and how it's spoofing old spy movie. I can see that, but the movie is becoming the thing it's mocking. Trying to be smart on the political side of things and failing hard. Force humor and call backs for no reason.
But those are the problems I had which is quite a lot.
Overall Rating: MANNERS MAKETH MAN. OR NOT.
I really enjoyed the original Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015). It took itself just seriously enough to poke fun at the spy thriller genre, but with tongue firmly in cheek. Though over-the-top in parts, it never went too far. The story stayed grounded enough to be an effective genre buster. Come for the action, stay for the riffs on James Bond.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle, though… There's a certain irony to this film's "Manners maketh man" scene, considering how poor its characters' manners are. The words "fuck", "shit", and so on absolutely litter the script. Sometimes a single line of dialogue manages to cram in half a dozen. I'm not sure even a single character escaped the "Fuck" train. Pretty much everyone seems to say it at least once.
Honestly, the writing just came across as lazy. That's yet another irony, because I'm sure the writers were working harder than ever trying to repeat the first film's formula and create a worthy sequel. Sadly, they failed. Cursing doesn't make a joke funny—unless it's already funny, then maybe a well-timed "Fuck!" can restart the giggles when they begin to subside.
The film's treatment of its female characters didn't help my opinion, either. Everyone doing anything of the "saving the world" variety was a man. Now, I'm a man too, and one of the things I really appreciated about 2015's Kingsman film was Roxy. I thought having a female spy working alongside Eggsy et al was part of the genre-busting, given that women usually only get "damsel in distress" roles in classic spy flicks. But in this go-around, Roxy isn't part of the picture (she's taken out along with all the other Kingsman agents near the beginning) and I'm afraid Ginger Ale—Halle Berry's real character name *gag*—couldn't make up for that.
All of this—plus the cheap-looking CGI—made for a very long 141 minutes.
Allegedly, the next Kingsman film (due out next year) won't even have Eggsy in it. This film killed off Merlin. I'm not sure what results the producers are expecting by replacing basically the entire core cast, considering what happened after they dumped most of them already for this go-around. I'll probably still watch the next film, but I expect it will be as bad as this one, if not worse.
"F**k you!" - Quote by Academy Award Wining Elton John
I remembered back on it's release of the first Kingsman and how refreshing it was. Nothing about it broke any ground and isn't flawless, but manages to have a unique quality by taking well known troops in spy movies, and putting it's own spin. The villain was threating, another underdog story and it following old spy tropes. Basically things that could've been bad if put in the wrong hands, turned into a surprise hit.
"The Golden Circle" on the other hand is pretty much the adult version of Spy Kids. It focus more on jokes than brains. It dose what every sequel dose and that's try to be bigger and bolder. To be honest, it doesn't feel like Matthew Vaughn directed this and he normally avoids sequels, I now know why. Despite it not fully living up to the first, I still found enjoyment within the stupidity.
Landing more into the guilty pleasure side of things.
Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, and maybe Elton John were the highlights of the movie. Since Firth is absence for half of the movie, Egerton and Strong fill in that lovable chemistry that was in the first. Giving everything their got. And of course Elton John was great like always.
Colin Firth and the character Harry Hart are what made the first film so great. Not the usual type casting for an actor like Firth and it surprised many of us. As I said before, he's mostly absence for half of the film until he finally comes back when the plot needs him. The whole thing with him being shot in the eye, however in the first movie you can clearly see the bullet going through his head and the idea of a evil twin brother doesn't sound too bad. Anywhere, none of it makes sense, but I'm glad to see him back even if he didn't do much.
The actions scenes are once again top notch, especially the car chase at the beginning and final sentence. A little bit too quick to see things at times and I wish they was some build up behind it.
While not as compelling as Samuel L. Jackson character, but Julianne Moore was pretty decent as the villain. Of course Moore puts it all into everything shes in. Playing the psychotic housewife stuck in the 50's and doing some graphic things to get her way. It's weird there's a point in the film where she completely disappears only to re-appear in the third act, and I forget she was in this at one point.
The same goes with Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, and Jeff Bridges who are barley in the film. I heard there's a longer cut of the movie and I wonder if any of them had extra scenes, because who knows until actually get something. I mean, isn't Vinnie Jones suppose to be in this?
The plot itself when reading it out doesn't sound like a real movie. Some have already said it's self aware and how it's spoofing old spy movie. I can see that, but the movie is becoming the thing it's mocking. Trying to be smart on the political side of things and failing hard. Force humor and call backs for no reason.
But those are the problems I had which is a lot.
Overall Rating: MANNERS MAKETH MAN. OR NOT.
EDIT: After seeing this a second time it is still a lot of fun with over the top action and humor. Still needs more Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges.
First off, if you didn't like the first then this one isn't going to win you over. It is the same crazy action with some dirty humor and over the top plot. There aren't many movies that have the same stylized action scenes like Kingsman (even though there wasn't a scene like the church scene from the first). All the cast were great included the great Elton John. Not as great as the first, which I think is one of the best action movies of the last decade, but still a worthy follow up and I can't wait for the sequel.
Now for some spoilers:
I'm sad that they killed Roxy so quickly. If they can bring Harry back I hope they bring her back in the third. I laughed my ass off when I saw that Eggsy was dating the princess who let him do it in the asshole. By the end of the movie he married her and now is a prince, I wonder how that will play into the next. I thought Merlin's death was sad but built up very well and that led into the best scene of the movie. Julianne Moore's villain wasn't as good as Samuel L. Jackson's but I still thought she had some creepy style. Needed more statesman. We got a lot of Pedro Pascal but not enough Jeff Bridges and Channing Tatum, maybe next movie.
Review by JordyVIP 8BlockedParent2024-01-30T23:56:53Z
Pretty obvious what went wrong here; the cartoonish quality of the first film is pushed to such extremes where it becomes really lame. Every action sequence in this is shot like the church scene of the first film, and the end result looks quite artificial and tacky (although they're still really well edited). The writing also got so much dumber; for example the scene that's meant to sell us on the evilness of Julianne Moore's character is ridiculous and stupid. Or take the return of Colin Firth, which is so underwhelming that it tanks the pacing whenever they cut back to his little subplot. The mechanics that are introduced here erase any stakes for the universe and it seems they generally didn't know what to do with the character. The risks it takes instead (the introduction of the statesmen; the 50s Americana aesthetic) are decently executed, but they're not enough to make for an entertaining movie. It's at its best when it's relying on the actors. Bridges, Tatum, Pascal and Moore are all delivering very fun, exaggerated performances, while Edgerton still knows how to portray the duality of Eggsy perfectly (though he's lacking the arc he had during the first movie). It's just a shame that they're not working with great, witty material. For instance, the running gag involving Elton John really overstays its welcome, which wasn't all that funny in the first place. The film isn't devoid of any laughs, but the jokes are often lacking in bite or edge. Moore's villain, despite her best efforts, isn't anywhere as memorable as Sam Jackson in the first film. Visually the movie is slightly above average; composition and lighting have always been among Matthew Vaughn's strengths, which makes it frustrating that the CGI sucks as much as it does. Sometimes it compensates for that with creative touches (lots of interesting scene transitions), but there are still so many bad looking effects shots. Ultimately a very disappointing sequel that lost sight of what made the franchise appealing.
4.5/10