SAMAA | Omair Alavi – Posted: Oct 7, 2017 | Last Updated: 4 years ago
The Kingsman are back with a bang; a bang that has everything mature viewer wishes for in an action flick. There is a conspiracy that threatens the world, an attack that wipes out most of the world’s would-be saviors and the return of one of the best spies, presumed dead. The action sequences are as good if not better than the first Kingsman, enthralling audiences all around the world. Making the world a safer place was never this adventurous.
The Plot
The film revolves around Eggsy (Taron Egerton) the main Kingsman agent based in London who now has a girlfriend, a best friend and a job he loves. Things change when an attack wipes out all but two Kingsman agents – Eggsy and Merlin (Mark Strong). The two join hands with the American branch of Kingsman – titled Statesman – where they get to work under the leadership of Champagne (Jeff Bridges), Whiskey (Pedro Pascal) and Tequila (Channing Tatum). Things become difficult when Tequila and Eggsy’s girlfriend Princess Tilde (Hanna Alström) are infected with a virus that affects the world’s entire ‘drug-using’ population. Eggsy and his team go out to find the antidote developed by Poppy (Julianne Moore) who lives mysteriously, kills savagely and is surrounded by two robotic dogs that comply with her commands.
The Good
The action sequences are the highlight of this film, especially the ones where one man is against an army, and your guess is as good as mine as to who will win. Matthew Vaughn’s direction is as impressive as his writing and this film confirms his belief in Kingsman, a series he initiated at a time when he could have opted to direct an X Men movie! The action sequences remind one of Guy Ritchie flicks (all English, you see) whereas the storyline moves quickly from one phase to another. The characters are more human this time around as they mourn the death of one of their own, as well as welcome back a former agent with open arms. If anyone forgets to mention the cameo by Sir Elton John, the grenades resembling baseballs, an umbrella that acts as a shield and a briefcase that holds missiles, then he or she is committing a criminal act!
The Bad
Only fans of John Wick and Rambo will find the movie interesting since it caters to their needs. The return of Colin Firth, as well as the addition of three more Oscar winners (Jeff Bridges, Halle Berry, and Julianne Moore), add to the film’s hype, although none of the three newcomers (to the franchise) gets enough time to establish their characters. Jeff Bridges never leaves the conference room, Colin Firth stays aloof in most of the movie, and Halle Berry plays a tech who wants to be an agent while Julianne Moore plays a psychopath who wants to get the US President to legalize the drug trade. Channing Tatum gets to play an American Kingsman however; he spends more of his time in the freezer than on screen, because of the virus. The length of the film might be a problem for some since it is 141 minutes long; for fans of the series, 141 might be too less.
Verdict – 3.5/5
Kingsman: The Golden Circle is not your average Hollywood flick; in fact, it creates a genre of its own. It is for those who like crazy stunts more than explosive dialogues (like me) and believe that a film should only be watched for entertainment. It is a must-watch flick for aspiring filmmakers who would be intrigued by the way certain sequences were shot; bringing back the dead concept is handled very well in the movie where actors were mere props in the hands of the director, who used them as per his requirements and for the audience’s enjoyment.
