By: Charley Hoehaver
Kingsman: The Golden Circle continues to be the stylish, hyper-violent action movie it always said it was. The first Kingsman movie came out in 2014 alongside other stylish action movies like John Wick and Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s first quarter release was overshadowed by those two movies, but still did well enough to turn a huge profit and gain the adoration of many fans. Kingsman: The Golden Circle returns as a proper end of the summer blockbuster and, rightfully so, gets it’s time in the limelight.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle returns to form with over the top action, slick visuals, and it’s outlandish story. That being said it isn’t flawless, but it’s faults aren’t so glaring that they ruin the movie. There are three times in the movie where I was able to predict what was going to happen next with almost 100% accuracy. Only one of those three times was what I predicted a major plot point of the movie. I would hardly say it ruined the moment, it was so easy to get caught up in the movie’s action that it could be easily brushed off. Kingsman: The Golden Circle had several fantastic action sequences that I couldn’t help but get lost in.
There were so many well executed action sequences in this movie I honestly can not count them. While not as gory as the first, the action hits just as hard with it’s heavy-handed, stylistic punches. The movie begins on one of the coolest chase scenes I’ve seen this year, my love of cars may make me biased in this regard but there’s something awesome about seeing a V8 British taxi drifting through the busy streets of London, while the two passengers duke it out in the back. I really only had issues with one scene in particular, they introduced a character in a jet that seemed to be building to a larger moment, but nothing ever came of it. The combination of practical effects and visual effects was mostly a seamless ordeal, though there is one gadget in the movie that breaks this illusion. Overall Kingsman: The Golden Circle has solid, well thought out action scenes, that the viewer could get lost in.
The story isn’t as cartoonish as the first movie and deals with a little bit more of an issue grounded in reality, but it’s message about that issue is unclear and I’m left wondering if its subtext actually meant something. Kingsman: The Golden Circle has well written, believable dialogue and genuine likeable characters that have great on- screen chemistry. As someone from the south, I do think that Channing Tatum’s southern accent was rough as hell. As much as I enjoyed his character, I was thankful that he was limited to what I would consider almost a cameo appearance.
Is Kingsman: The Golden Circle a master class of cinema, frankly no. Is Kingsman: The Golden Circle a highly-enjoyable action film, absolutely. While it deals slightly with issues that have real weight, it’s not a serious film. It’s a lighthearted, action packed, movie laced with a clever sense of humor and a fantastic sense of style in all meanings of the word. Kingsman: The Golden Circle is rather long, right at two and a half hours, but a very enjoyable action movie that I think anyone can enjoy. I’d easily recommend this movie if you are plan on going to the movies anytime soon.
