Brought to you by 20th Century Fox.
“Manners maketh man.”
Kingsman: The Secret Service was a smart, stylised take on classic spy films that brought a much-needed sense of fun back to the genre.
Maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised that it was the breakout hit of 2015. After all, director Matthew Vaughn did turn down X-Men: Days of Future Past to bring another one of Kick-Ass creator Mark Miller’s comics to life. The result was as anarchic and enjoyable as you’d expect.
Now the Kingsmen are back in Kingsman: The Golden Circle and there are plenty of reasons to get excited about their return. This time around, the Kingsmen travel to the US to seek help from their trans-Atlantic cousins, the Statesmen. This clash of cultures gives the film a fresh dynamic and lets it channel some classic “odd couple” action films like 48 Hours and Lethal Weapon.
So what can you look forward to when you go and see the new sequel?
1. It puts the fun back in spy movies
The Kingsman films are a world away from the PTSD-addled antiheroes or the grim paranoia that has become the default setting for modern spy movies. They’re a throwback to Roger Moore-era Bond films, but with orange smoking jackets instead of safari suits!
Who doesn’t love big, bright romps with lots of gadgets, dollops of fun, impeccable tailoring, crazy characters and plenty of humour. These films are all about sharp suits and maintaining an arched eyebrow in the face of danger.
2. The incredible cast
The sequel features five, yes five, Oscar-winning actors and they’ve drafted in some brilliant additions to the original cast. You’ve got a former Bond girl (Halle Berry), a revered character actress (Julianne Moore), The Dude (Jeff Bridges), a breakout TV star (Pedro Pascal), an acting legend (Michael Gambon) and an action hero with comedy chops (Channing Tatum). The supporting cast is also a who’s who of acting talent that will have you constantly asking “What was he/she in?”
3. The Elton John cameo
You may have noticed the Rocket Man in the trailer for the new film. He makes one of the cameos of the year in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Seriously, this cameo is up there with Bill Murray in Adventureland or Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder.
4. Amazing gadgets
The original film had some spectacular gadgets but Kingsman: The Golden Circle ups the ante with even more fantastic toys. You’ve got cybernetic arms, baseball grenades, machine gun briefcases, robotic dogs, tracking condoms and – of course – the obligatory Kingsman umbrella.
5. The style
Forget your Bruce Willis vests or Jason Bourne leather jackets. Kingsman: The Golden Circle is all about bespoke suits, classic cuts and the gentleman spy. This sartorial elegance somehow makes the film’s mayhem and violence all seem a little bit more civilised. Sure there’s no point saving the world if you can’t look good doing it!
6. The action gets even crazier
Matthew Vaughn has developed a distinctive directing style that can be traced from Layer Cake through to X-Men: First Class and the Kick-Ass films. He described Kingsman: The Secret Service as his “postgraduate thesis” and the new film takes it to the next level.
Vaughn typically gives you stylised violence, manic action pieces, innovation, humour and an irreverent style. He also has a history of subverting whatever genre he works in so expect Kingsman: The Golden Circle to be a fresh take on the spy sequel.
7. A scene to rival the church scene
Everyone remembers that church scene in the original. It blew people away with its sharp editing, relentless action, brilliant choreography and sheer bloody violence. Never has the killing of a churchful of people been so entertaining! Well, let’s just say that the sequel has a scene to rival that and it’s as gloriously bonkers as you’d expect.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle is in Irish cinemas now. Starring Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal and Julianne Moore.
Brought to you by 20th Century Fox.
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