Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a spy action/comedy film directed by Matthew Vaughn and written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman. It is the sequel to 2014's Kingsman: The Secret Service, which was directed and written by the same people as this instalment. Taron Egerton, Colin Firth and Mark Strong all reprise their roles from the first film and are joined by newcomers to the franchise Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges and Channing Tatum. Matthew Vaughn is a director that gets me excited for whatever he is making next, simply because I've loved everything that I've seen by him. Kick-Ass is a brilliantly fun superhero film that subverts the typical conventions of the superhero genre, X-Men: First Class is one of the best entries in that series and really saved it from it's near downfall, and the first Kingsman is sublime and really makes spy movies fun, and not dramatic and serious like the Bond films tend to portray. Therefore, hearing of a follow up to Kingsman was very exciting news, especially as Vaughn has never made a sequel before, so I was intrigued to see how he'd handle this instalment considering there isn't an awful lot of room for him to be able to make something new and fresh when that's exactly what the first one was. Unfortunately, that's what causes this film to really suffer, as it's not even close to matching its predecessor, however it is still a very fun and enjoyable outing - but it's still packed with flaws, unfortunately. I think probably the biggest issue with The Golden Circle is the writing and plot (or lack of focus towards). This film has a running time of 2 hours and 21 minutes, which is incredibly long, but it really is unnecessarily so. For some reason there are a large amount of sub plots and uninteresting and really unneeded character arcs that don't really add anything to the overall movie, and if they'd have been cut out then it wouldn't have made any effect at all to the overarching plot. One of these plot diversions is a 20 minute or so scene which takes place at Glastonbury Festival, and it gets very uncomfortable to watch towards the end of the scene, and has, rightfully so, attracted a large amount of controversy from both audiences and critics alike - and you'll know exactly why too if you've seen it. Another criticism I have with the film is that it isn't very funny, and for something that's marketed as being quite comedic in tone, that is quite a disappointment - however there are some laughs to be had from a certain singer that shows up, but they do outstay their welcome quite a bit. Also, it feels as if they're really trying to top the first film and make this one incredibly awesome and cool, and that they're attempting to make something better than the church scene from the first film (which I believe is one of the greatest action sequences put to film), but they are failing quite horribly as none of the action scenes come close to it. The villain, played by Julianne Moore, is also not exactly a positive. Moore does a very good job and portrays her character well - however her plan and motive is somewhat ridiculous and incredibly unbelievable. Colin Firth is also back in the film, and warning I am about to talk spoilers so be warned if you haven't seen the film yet, which is a bit of a stupid decision in my opinion, - seeing as the first film provided a real shock in the death of Firth's character, and it was described why best by Samuel L. Jackson's character when he says 'this isn't that type of movie' before shooting him, and so to just undo all of that removes any stakes that there are within this universe and ruins quite a large point that the first film made. And if there's a gadget that can literally bring someone back to life after being shot in the head, how come there isn't one that disables a land mine? Besides all these negatives, there are numerous amounts of positives to be given to The Golden Circle. Everyone is pretty great in the film, especially Egerton and Mark Strong (however I did think Firth wasn't as good as he usually is) and I thoroughly enjoyed Julianne Moore's portrayal of her villainous character. The action is also superbly shot and directed, with Matthew Vaughn using his signature style when it comes to action sequences, as seen in both Kick-Ass and the first Kingsman. The cinematography is also incredibly visually stunning as well, and cannot be faulted one bit whatsoever. I think the biggest praise I can give the film is that it is really good fun - despite the fact that it has several flaws that really do stick out, I still had a really good time watching the film, and so I'm glad Matthew Vaughn managed to recreate the tone and spirit of the first, even though he couldn't top it. In conclusion, Kingsman: The Golden Circle is an incredibly entertaining escapade that provides some good performances and truly thrilling action, however its failure in its writing and inability to focus on its central plot doesn't allow it to be anywhere near as good as its predecessor.
1 Comment
DR
10/9/2017 04:32:15 am
Lively and thoughtful. Great job!
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December 2017
My Favourite Films:
The Breakfast Club (1989) Drive (2011) The Social Network (2010) The Dark Knight (2008) Empire Strikes Back (1980) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Taxi Driver (1976) Dr Strangelove (1964) Trainspotting (1996) |