Review of Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) by Jeffrey M — 29 Feb 2016

Profoundly silly but incredibly energetic, Kingsman is a film that is frustratingly hard to like, yet also one hard to take your eyes off. Director Matthew Vaughn takes on the spy genre with this film, one that is more of a parody than anything serious, think Kick Ass meets James Bond.

What there is to like here can be true of most any Vaughn movie. The stylistic action, though over-the-top in parts, has a certain inertia that it's hard to ignore. Its audacious nature, combined with the humorous plot points makes for a film that is light-hearted enough to enjoy on a very surface nature. The acting also keeps the film anchored from what would otherwise seem like a jumbled mess, with very fine performances all around, and an especially strong showing for Collin Firth.

It's not without problems. The film has a hard time striking a balance between a humorous sort of parody and something that takes itself a bit more seriously. The script has a plot that is barely intelligible, and is used as an attack vehicle for left-wing politics, with strong Anti-American and Anti-Christian overtones. Obviously offensive to some, including myself, the film seems to think it's too clever for us to notice such propaganda. All could perhaps be forgiven if it maintained a funny tone, but the laughs are too few and the eye rolls are many.

A mixed bag.

3/5 Stars.