Kingsman: The Secret Service was a ridiculously violent, completely over-the-top, charmingly stylish, CG-heavy action-spy romp with a surprising helping of heart and one very bad joke. Its sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, triples down on all of the above--including its cringeworthy comic sensibilities. The movie lunges, slides, and leaps frenetically from mood to mood, mashing up emotional reunions, goofy but impressive fight scenes, spicy one-liners of wildly varying wit, clumsy political commentary, and inconsistent humor. A lot of it works, but a couple of unfortunate choices hold The Golden Circle back from being anywhere near as good as its predecessor.This Kingsman sequel sees Taron Egerton`s Eggsy--A.K.A. Agent Galahad, a title he inherited from Colin Firth`s Harry Hart--chasing down an international drug cartel led by Julianne Moore`s Poppy Adams. Notably, Firth returns in The Golden Circle--despite getting shot in the head last time--and thankfully, the movie gets right to the point explaining how, instead of drawing it out as some big mystery.Moore is easily the franchise`s best new addition, as her egomaniacal supervillain comes with a funny twist: She`s obsessed with 1950s nostalgia. Her secret jungle stronghold resembles a mid-century American town, complete with bowling alley, movie theater, salon, hot dog stand, and her diner-themed headquarters, where she makes loyal henchmen stuff each other in a meat grinder, turns them into burger patties, and feeds them to the survivors. Poppy is a maniac, but her nostalgia provides her with motivation: She aims to get all drugs legalized so she can return home and gain recognition as the successful businessperson she perceives herself as.That involves getting the Kingsmen out of her way, which she does by blowing them up within the movie`s first 15 minutes, instantly killing some characters whose absence from the film is sorely felt. The survivors include Eggsy, his tech support Merlin (Mark Strong), and ...
|
