Can 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' go full circle in this sequel?
'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' tells the story of the British intelligence agency and their journey of discovering an allied spy organisation in the USA after their headquarters are destroyed. These two elite secret organisations must band together to defeat a common enemy.
The thing with sequels is that, more often than not, they never live up to their predecessor. There are the few exceptions to that rule though, such as 'Empire Strikes Back' or 'The Two Towers'; however, it is usually at the viewer's discretion that their preference remains the original.
In the case of the new 'Kingsman' film, it's exactly that: a preference for the original. Not only did the film series discover the likes of Taron Egerton, really propelling him into the industry in a big way, but sheds the light that Colin Firth is more than just a romantic leading man, giving him ample chance to prove his acting ability.
'The Golden Circle' has the originality of its processor, filled with fun, over the top antics, and putting characters and pop culture personalities in situations we may not expect (this time being Sir Elton John swearing like a sailor and kicking ass in heels and his flamboyant outfits).
What the film lacks this time around, however, is The Secret Service's distinct creativity; this is something that can definitely be seen with Writer/Director/Producer Matthew Vaughn's previous work in 'Kick-Ass' - with the impeccable casting of Chloe Grace Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (a platform for their careers), the original was so out there and unique that it failed to provide a renewed energy in the second instalment.
Despite 'The Golden Circle' feeling so action-packed, the audience begins to feel its length, as if too long for its own good. Standing at two and a half hours, it feels like so many things could have been left out to make the film a more enjoyable experience.
The film lurches from set piece to set piece, never really giving time for either us or the characters to just breathe. There has to be times in a film - even momentarily, where events can settle and everyone on either side of the screen can recover; this can be pinned down to pace, and the almost excessive use of slow-motion.
Even though 'The Golden Circle' still remains entertaining at best, at worst the story isn't the strongest, with obvious plot twists and seemingly forgetting some characters along the way. Channing Tatum's Tequila, Jeff Bridges' Champagne, and Halle Berry's Ginger Ale hardly received the screen time they deserved. It would've been great to get to know them as their performances are strong and engaging in the brief time they're onscreen.
At most, when articles like that in The Mary Sue describe how uncomfortable Egerton was with 'that sex scene' (so much so that he refused to perform the acts required of him, and calling in Poppy Delevigne's husband instead who was performing opposite him in the scene), it really makes you step back and think about the film as a whole.
Yes, it may be an entertaining bit of fun where you can love the characters for what they are and enjoy a film that's over the top in ways that (let's say) 'James Bond' is not, you really have to question if the team behind this instalment of 'Kingsman' is pushing the envelope too far. If you're lead refuses a direction, this should ring alarm bells. And yet it didn't and the scene went ahead anyway. Creativity isn't something that Vaughn is short of, so another situation that could have accomplished the same goal could have been developed.
Vaughn has revealed that a third 'Kingsman' film is in planning stages, with a spin-off 'Statesman' film. All we can hope for now is that we go full 'circle' to what made us love 'Kingsman' in the first place.
Much like 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2', 'The Golden Circle' will make audiences glad they returned to the cinema to experience the world once more, but ultimately, it just isn't as satisfying as patrons expect it to be.
If anything, Vaughn and writing partner Jane Goldman know how to make a good comic-book adaption. Filmmakers take note.
'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' is in cinemas now.
#CrissGidas #crissgidas #editorbelindapearce #KingsmanTheGoldenCircle #EmpireStrikesBack #TheTwoTowers #TaronEgerton #ColinFirth #TheGoldenCircle #Kingsman #SirEltonJohn #TheSecretService #MatthewVaughn #KickAss #ChloeGraceMoretz #AaronTaylorJohnson #action #ChanningTatum #JeffBridges #HalleBerry #TheMarySue #PoppyDelevigne #JamesBond #Statesman #GuardiansoftheGalaxyVol2 #JaneGoldman
