This review contains spoilers for the film.
Stop everything you’re doing! The new “Kingsman” movie is out in theaters. You know, “Kingsman?” This amazing, crazy good movie released was in 2014, and had the perfect equation to revolutionize a spy movie. A terrific scenario, great action scenes, amazing stunts, three pieces suits and Colin Firth make for a refreshing espionage film. Go away James Bond, we found a nice substitute.
Despite the first movie’s excellent recipe, the sequel, “Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle,” threw more elements into the equation. The sequel remains entertaining and continues to have lovely, shocking details, but if I had to grade it, the franchise went from an A+ first film to a B- second film.
The cleverness of the first “Kingsman” relied on refreshing the James Bond cliché and that of other spy films. The rating of the sequel relied on too many unnecessary elements and didn’t include enough action scenes.
Following the murder of most of the Kingsman, except for Eggsie (Taron Egerton) and Merlin (Mark Strong), we learn there are Kingsman in England and Stateman in the United States. Our heroes go to the States to seek help and meet Agent Tequila (Channing Tatum), Ginger Ale (Halle Berry) and Agent Whiskey (Pedro Pascal).
Why would Tatum and Berry play a role that is not that important? Were they already planting the seeds for a third movie?
The Kingsman are a British spy cliché, and the Statesman are an American cliché with clichéd American accents. That’s it. The Statesman interests rely on two things: cowboys and Southern accents.
The Statesman don’t really do anything interesting until halfway through the film. Despite that, I have to say I was gently surprised by how they incorporated lassos and whips into the way they fight. My visions of cowboys definitely changed with this movie.
The first “Kingsman” introduced gadgets that I really loved. A watch that electrocutes and sends sedatives? I believe in it. An umbrella that can be used as a shield, electrocutes, and still finds a way to send sedatives? I still believe in it. A grenade-lighter? Yes. A secretly poisoned blade in the Kingsman’s shoes? Of course, give me more.
But a laser-lasso that cuts everything in its way, especially human bodies? Hello, “Wonder Woman” and “Star Wars?” Yes, the Statesman borrowed your stuff, and not too well. A lasso was perfect. An electrocuting lasso was still perfect. The laser part wasn’t necessary. The Kingsman went a little far with our credulity (except the Louis Vuitton sub-machine gun briefcase. I can believe in that.), including–though to our greatest pleasure—healing Colin Firth from a shot in the eye.
The presence of Elton John playing himself was also pretty surprising (his acting talent too, is there anything he can’t do?) and Julianne Moore as the “bad guy” was mediocre. Her actions definitely made her evil, but I was not scared by her character. She did build amazing murderous robots, but she was too appealing in her look and behavior.
And finally, the ending felt so wrong and so random, I found myself hurt. I dare not write it down because it will make it real, and I don’t need to revive the memory. The ending traumatized the writer inside of me.
There wasn’t anything more than first movie had already brought—which is a shame—but who wouldn’t like to see Colin Firth coming back from the dead yet again?
Don’t go too far James Bond, we might still need you.
Written by Scarlett Ruggiero.
Scarlett is a writing major, wine lover and cheese enthusiast from Paris, France. When she isn’t busy writing, she likes to wander around District’s quarter in search of new articles to write.
