2021
15
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Harris Dickinson, Djimon Hounsou, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance etc.
In the early years of the 20th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out millions. Despite its flaws this film was a lot of fun and another strong addition to the franchise.
The cinematography and scope of the film was great. With some good character background. With very effective use of gore and strong action that was well choreographed and kept me consistently entertained. The chemistry between the cast was fantastic. With some brilliant performances from Harris Dickinson, Gemma Arterton, and Djimon Hounsou. But the star performances were from Ralph Fiennes and Rhys Ifans who both delivered passionate, emotional and disturbing performances. The set up was strong and established a strong bond between the main characters, and I loved the setting of the war period. The film was very funny and never took itself too seriously, and keeping the style that the Kingsman franchise is known for. Rasputin was also fantastic as one of the villains, he was disturbing and hilarious. The development to the plot was strong. With a very intense tone in parts. It also had a surprising amount of character depth and emotional weight with its themes on the harsh realities of war and how it can mentally effect people. Plus the final act was a lot of fun and very entertaining.
However, it did have a fair amount of flaws. The opening scene felt rushed and didn't make me as connected to the characters as I would have liked. The pacing was often fairly clunky and the movie could have been around 20 minutes shorter. I thought that there was some odd creative decisions, not having Rasputin as the main villain in particular was baffling to me as he was fantastic. There was a lot of underdeveloped plot points, particularly with the villains and the characters in general. Plus the plot twist in the final act was underwhelming which always happens when you don't reveal the villain until the final 15 minutes.
Overall, The Kings Man is the weakest of the whole franchise due to its clunky pacing, baffling creative decisions and weak writing in parts. However, is still a worthy addition to the franchise. Keeping the style, fun and strong action that the Kingsman is known for. Also with a surprising amount of emotion with its themes.
Overall score 77/100
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