Review of Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) by Carson W — 20 Sep 2017

Let me preface this by saying I was a huge fan of the original. I went into "Kingsman: The Secret Service" having no idea what to expect from the movie except for seeing a poster and movie time. When I left, I was amazed at what a fun, over-the-top feature it was, and how well done a parody of classic spy films, such as James Bond, could be so entertaining. The almost cartoonish CGI, the lively soundtrack, and the extravagant action sequences all blended together to produce a thrilling movie. Yet, even though the sequel, "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," seems to take this to another level, it just doesn't work as well.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie. It was a fun ride, but maybe too long of a ride, with some scenes playing out like those you would find in the deleted scenes section on the Blu-Ray disc. The action was plentiful, just as excessive and overblown as you would hope for, with scenes coming at you one after the other, almost too much at times. The violence lives up to the R rating it was given, looking like it came out of a video game death sequence rather than a movie. All this is the same recipe for what made the original so great and provides part of the motive for why this one fell so flat, it failed to build on the original, but instead, copied it.

What is a shame too, is that the cast features four Oscar winners and an Academy Award winner, but fails to really deliver any well-played roles. Overall, the acting in the movie felt like a lot more to be desired. It also seems like John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is the song of the year for movies, being featured in three movies recently(this doesn't mean I don't love to sing along to it). Even more, coincidently, a movie I just recently wrote about, Logan Lucky, featured "Take Me Home, Country Roads," Channing Tatum, and a main character singing the song towards the end of the movie, just like "Kingsman"! The pop culture references were definitely there as well, just like the original, but felt bland, even the I-see-what-you-did-there ending of the movie. "The Golden Circle" holds too hard on the premise and identity of the original, even undoing an important plot point of the original, a major crime for a sequel, and never is able to stand tall on its own. .

I enjoyed the film, but it surely did not live up to the original.