Movie Review - Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Kingsman: The Golden Circle *** (out of 5) (R) If you haven’t seen the first Kingsman film, try to catch it on whatever medium you have before seeing this second installment. There are many continuing themes, returning characters and references to previous events that would likely make the film less enjoyable (if not less comprehensible) for newbies, Unfortunately, for those of us who loved, or even liked, the first, expect the standard amount of sequel dropoff, making it entertaining, but not so much of a WOW!

Admittedly, two elements of our intro to this British supersecret superspy agency would be almost impossible to match - Sofia Boutella’s turn as the villain’s springblade-legged assassin, and the spectacularly colorful climactic victory scene. Samuel L. Jackson’s campy spin on a Bond-type archvillain was also superb.

This time our young hero, Eggsy (Taron Egerton) must overcome an early disaster, join forces with previously-unknown American counterparts, and defeat the evil plans of a megalomaniac narcotics dealer played by ... wait for it... Julianne Moore! Yeah. The one with one Oscar among her five nominations for Best Actress. Mark Strong and Colin Firth return, despite the apparent death of the latter in the battle against Jackson & Co. Other plot threads - most notably Eggsy’s romance with the Swedish princess - flow from those previous events.

But much of the charm and humor that made the original so endearing came from Eggsy’s unlikely metamorphosis from lower-class nobody to the epitome of elegance and skills required for such an elite force. And while Moore tries her best to sweetly emulate a June Cleaver on Zoloft while acting so demonically, she can’t ham it up like Sam. I doubt she was banking on a sixth nomination from this role, anyway. The American angle gives us Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum and a few surprises among the supporting cast to make up for some of the other shortfalls.
The opening chase gets our adrenaline pumping. A number of fight scenes are unique and exciting, including some weapons we haven’t seen before, but would love to see again. On screen. Not against us in real life. There’s even a political angle that turned out to be more satiric and prophetic than anyone could have imagined when they were writing the screenplay. Alas.

So, see the first if you haven’t, then adjust expectations before this one, and all will be well. They do dangle the possibility of a third installment, but one can only hope they can either reverse the slide, or leave these pleasant memories unsullied. (9/22/17)