Kingsman

Good news everyone: I just came back from seeing the new Kingsman movie, so today I will review both of the movies. First, let’s take a look at “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” released in 2015. Peter Travers started his review by saying, “As sadistic toys go, I prefer the spy gadgets Harry Hart (Colin Firth) unleashes in Kingsman: The Secret Service to anything Christian Grey brings out of his room of pain in Fifty Shades of Grey. But, hey, that's just me. Caught between straight-up James Bond and the Austin Powers parody version, Kingsman is a high-octane combo of action and comedy that breathes sweet and surreal new life into the big-screen spy game where Bond meets Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer.” Adapted from Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons’ 2012 comic book series and directed by Matthew Vaughn with the same anything-goes originality he brought to “Kick @$$,” “Kingsman” is all over the place, sometimes to its disadvantage. However, you won’t want to miss the surprises it brings in enjoyment.

In a role that fits him like an adapted suit, the great Colin Firth is everything you want in an international spy man. His smooth British agent Harry Hart, code-named Galahad, plays by the rules of a spy business, led by Arthur (Michael Caine), who names its agents after kings of the round table. Since Lancelot (Jack Davenport) died saving Galahad 17 years ago, Galahad decides to return the favor by enlisting Lance’s teenage son, Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton), into the secret service. The problem is Eggsy is a thug, a street kid who looks like he wants to be arrested instead of the graceful locality of Kingsman, a show off tailoring shop on Saville Row that is the façade for the Secret Service.

Travers said, “Got that? Now add the posh young recruits that Eggsy must vie with to achieve a place at the table. My advice? Just jump into the action and go with it. That's what Vaughn does.” The beginning segment, a flashback, introduces Richmond Valentine, an affluent super-villain played to infinity and beyond by Samuel L. Jackson with a Mike Tyson lisp, but with an evil streak Goldfinger would desire. Valentine has a girl named Gazelle, played by Algerian dancer Sofia Boutella, whose prosthetic legs are equipped with blades Colonel Rosa Klebb would desire. Too much James Bond references for everybody? The movie is filled with them, including a cameo from an unrecognizable Mark Hamill and a exposition on Bond villains from Firth and Jackson. Travers credited, “Newbie Egerton holds his own with a cast of pros and I loved his twist on an 007 martini — "gin poured while glancing at an unopened bottle of vermouth." I could go on.” The movie does just that, with Vaughn and co-writer Jane Goldman throwing grenades into the plot every chance they have. Travers said, “The big set piece, and it's a wowzer, involves a church massacre provoked by lethal SIM cards that Valentine installs in cell phones.” Even when it stops making sense, “Kingsman” just keeps being a fun film.

“Kingsman: The Secret Service” is definitely a great homage to the James Bond franchise. If you love the James Bond movies and haven’t seen “Kingsman” yet, you should. You will have an enjoyable, fun time watching it. It was definitely one of the best films that was released in 2015.

Next up is “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” which came out last Friday. The silly spy-parody is based on the 2012 comic book The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, with an all-star cast and intelligent but not really smart writing by director Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman. The sequel to the 2015 amazing and high grossing film, reprises the cast of Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, and director Matthew Vaughn. It also includes great location areas, so much Bond-like gadgets, amazing action scenes, a smooth but head-scratching script and a basic humor that’s not for everyone. It looks like a messy film that has a long runtime and has much cartoonish violence and a liking for silliness. Dennis Schwartz stated in his review, “But, if looking solely for escapist entertainment, it is amusing in spots.”

The former gangster turned secret spy, Eggsy appears outside of his tailor shop spy headquarters in London when he’s attacked by a Kingsman reject Charlie, played by Edward Holcroft, and his new cyborg arm. Their serious deadly fight continues in a taxi speeding through the night streets of London, as the song of the late Prince’s Let’s Go Crazy is playing at full volume. At first, Charlie is thought to have been murdered but survives over a computer glitch made by Eggsy, and we learn he is working for the uncontrolled boss of an ambitious international drug league.

 We also see Eggsy still mourning the loss of Harry, his mentor, and has become Harry’s Galahad in the “Kingsman” business, and he is now in the process of getting engaged to the Swedish princess Tilde, played by Hanna Alström. There are some funny moments as Eggsy eats with her royal parents (Lena Endre) and answers her father’s (the late Bjorn Grannath in his last role) insane questions by cheating, thanks to his fellow agent (Sophie Cookson). Everything gets distracted when that night a bomb lands on the Kingsman’s suit store headquarters and all the agents (Michael Gambon and Calvin Demba) are killed. The detection goes to the villain responsible for the international drug league called the Golden Circle run by the sycophantic, psychopath Poppy, played by Julianne Moore, who lives in a diner copy in a secluded hidden jungle complex filled with so many 1950s retro items and is heavily guarded by humans and robots. She plans to control all of the drug traffic on the planet by mixing the drugs with a deadly virus and she is the only one with the cure. What she wants from every world leader is drugs to be legalized and she wants to be chosen as the drug supplier for the world, and if this is not given she will allow everyone infected to die but if agreed then she will immediately give the antidote.

The remaining spies on Kingsman, Eggsy and the Q of the team Merlin, played by Mark Strong, see they do not have any weapons to go after the woman alone but figure out that in Kentucky there’s a spy organization called The Statesman that’s backed by a liquor operation and is similar to their business. In Kentucky, they meet the boss of the Statesman, Champ (Jeff Bridges), the team’s Q Ginger Ale (Halle Berry), the cocky modern lasso-swinging agent Whiskey (Pedro Pascal) and the mistake making agent Tequila (the amazing Channing Tatum). They also find out that Harry is with them and is now wearing an eye-patch, and he did not die after being shot in the eye but just lost his memory and has gone back to being a butterfly collector.

The film is well focused as a spoof on the “War on Drugs” and the good bankruptcy of the U.S. President, played by Bruce Greenwood, it can also be looked at as leaving us the political message to “just say no to drugs” or to legalize it so it can be sold as any keeping pace food as the more sensible solution to the drug problem.

Schwartz mentioned, “Noteworthy attention grabbing scenes feature a clownish Elton John, being a pretty sight in pink feathers and playing a red grand piano as a captive of Poppy, and a well-shot scene of an out of control cable car spinning down the snow covered Italian Alps.” A love scene has Eggsy in Glastonbury for the music festival putting a device “inside” Charlie’s girlfriend, played by Poppy Delevingne.

It’s the type of film you can hate or love, or just think of at it simply as a guilty pleasure.

However, I think this film was actually better than the first one. I know that this film hasn’t been well-received by critics, but I’m just a casual movie watcher. I thought this film had better action, better camera movements, better villain, and it was a lot of fun that was done in a very nice style. I understand this might be the same story, but it was bigger and better, but done with a lot more style. Definitely go to the theater to check it out and decide for yourself.

There’s also a possibility for a third movie with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the villain and a possible spin-off, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Alright everyone, stay tuned tomorrow for the finale of the 31 day marathon of “Halloween Month.”