Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) - Film Review

Starring: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore & Mark Strong

Screenplay: Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn

Directed By: Matthew Vaughn

Certificate: 15

I think everyone was taken by surprise at just how good 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' was back in 2015. It honestly blew me away when I first watched it, and is still up there as one of my favourite films of 2015. And thanks to respectable box office success, and an enthusiastic response from audiences, its sequel, 'The Golden Circle' was greenlit. But if you've read my review of the first film, you'll know that it has some high standards to live up to. So can lightning strike twice for this promising-looking series? 

One year on from the events of 'The Secret Service', and the Kingsman headquarters in London finds itself under attack. When the headquarters is destroyed via a missile, the only survivors are Eggsy and Merlin. The Kingsman emergency doomsday protocol leads them both to the Statesman - Kingsman's American counterparts. Working together, they discover the attack on Kingsman came from Poppy Adams, leader of the world's largest drug cartel, the Golden Circle. When Poppy launches her plans and holds the world to ransom, the Kingsmen and Statesmen must work together to stop her.

I remember when 'The Golden Circle' was being released in cinemas, and because I wasn't able to watch it until its release on home media, I kept a close eye on what critics and fans had to say about it. Needless to say … it was mixed. With how much I loved the first film, it was disappointing to see how lukewarm and divided everyone seemed to be about 'The Golden Circle'. As if reception wasn't split enough, in its early months, the film was averaging a 50% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. So when I finally caught up and watched it a few months later, I felt tentative going into it. But I can happily say that while not anywhere near as good as its predecessor, I still found 'The Golden Circle' to be an incredibly fun time. So what was the problem everyone seemed to have with it? One of the biggest criticisms I saw made against the film was that it felt like a studio cash grab, and lacked the personal touch of director Matthew Vaughn. While I don't agree, I can see where this argument is coming from. There are a lot of elements introduced in 'The Golden Circle' that feel like deliberate efforts to bait a spin-off, especially where the new Statesmen are concerned. The cast is also fit to burst with star names, not all of which are essential to the actual film. Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Michael Gambon etc. And perhaps the strangest appearance of them all … Elton John … who gets a fair amount of screentime too. 

But despite the huge amount of newcomers, the cast from the first film are still on top form. Taron Egerton returns as Eggsy, and no longer is he the unsung hero of the franchise. Since 'Kingsman: The Secret Service', Egerton's career has properly taken off and he's become a household name, appearing in 'Eddie The Eagle', 'Sing', 'Rocketman' and more. He's a great actor finally getting the recognition he deserves, and he certainly doesn't disappoint here. Mark Strong is also back as Merlin, and there's not much else I can say that hasn't already been said … he's just the best. And surprising everyone and no-one at the same time, Colin Firth returns despite his character's death in the first film. His resurrection does remove some of the film's sense of consequence, and feel a bit like the creative team backtracking, as though they realized they'd killed off a great character too soon. BUT, I can't deny how fun it is to have Harry back again, and fighting alongside Eggsy once more. Two characters who don't make a return are Valentine and Gazelle, but in their place, we have now villain in Poppy. Julianne Moore plays a very different kind of villain to the lisping, weak-stomached Valentine, or the cool, vicious Gazelle. Poppy works so well as a villain because of her insincerity. She has a cheerful demeanour, and nearly always wears a smile, but underneath it, there's no empathy whatsoever. She'll happily smile as she puts one of her employees through a meat grinder and make another employee eat him in a burger. 

Most of the new characters introduced are Statesman agents, which besides being comprised of many star names, are also very entertaining for the most part. Channing Tatum fits in surprisingly well as a macho cowboy spy agent; as does Jeff Bridges as Statesman head, Champagne, who is never explicitly said to have a problem with drug addiction, but it is heavily implied in various comedic ways. Pedro Pascal also leaves an impression as Whiskey, a lasso-wielding agent who leaves you guessing about where his real allegiances lie. The only Statesman agent that doesn't really impress is Halle Berry as Ginger Ale. The character barely gets to do anything, and it's understandable why Berry looks so bored in the role. There's also the much-advertised appearance of Elton John as himself. When I first heard he'd have a role in the film, it did seem like a quirky bit of stunt casting designed to attract attention. But I was pleasantly surprised by just how much fun he seems to be having here. He does seem to almost be contractually obliged to shout "F*ck you!" in every scene he's in, but he gets a couple of really fun action moments, and at one point pulls off one of the best rescues on film... ever. 

Behind the camera, 'The Golden Circle' maintains the same technical mastery and wit as the first film. This is thanks in no small part to the return of director Matthew Vaughn. While there isn't necessarily a stand-out set-piece like the famous church scene of the first film, the action still has that same wonderfully over-the-top, stylized feel. And as the final fight scene of the film proves, the choreography is still top-notch. Away from the action, I can say that 'The Golden Circle' is more vibrant and colourful that its predecessor, especially Poppy's 1950s inspired headquarters. In terms of production quality, I wouldn't say that the sequel is per se an improvement on the original, but it's certainly not a downgrade either. 

As I've said, 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' doesn't match the quality of the original, and while I think critics have been especially harsh on this film, it definitely has its flaws. At 2hrs 20mins long, the runtime has come in for criticism, and I can see why. There are a few subplots along the way which add very little to the overall story. Most notably for me is a sequence which takes place at Glastonbury, where it's Eggsy's mission to plant a tracker on a female target. But for … reasons, the tracker can only be implanted sexually. It's the best example of the film needlessly going off on a tangent, as all this sequence does is put a strain on Eggsy's relationship with his girlfriend, Princess Tilde, to pad out an already lengthy runtime. 

But a bigger problem that I have with 'The Golden Circle' is its incredibly confused social commentary. 'The Secret Service' was filled with brilliant commentary on classism, environmentalism and the negligible representation in spy films such as the 'James Bond' movies. 'The Golden Circle' attempts something similar with commentary on drug abuse. But the thing is, I have no idea what this film's stance on drug abuse actually is. At times the film seems to attack the use of drugs such as cannabis, telling people that they should "stick to booze", but it's not as if alcohol hasn't killed people either. Muddying the waters even more is an American President who plans to let the world's drug users just die. Yet he's (rightly) presented as evil for this, and his Chief of Staff gives him an impassioned speech on why people end up relying on drugs. So what is 'The Golden Circle's stance on this? Is it opposed to recreational drug use or not? Speaking as an outsider who's never smoked anything in his life, and barely touches alcohol, I can see both sides of its arguments, but the film never seems to make its own mind up. 

Although it's a much more imperfect film than 'The Secret Service', 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' was hardly a disappointing sequel. There are a lot more criticisms that can be made of it, but I feel like the general consensus has been really unfair. I was still able to enjoy 'The Golden Circle' for what it is, and if you were left disappointed by it, I'd implore you to at least revisit it and see if it fares better now without the pre-release hype and expectations. Hugely entertaining and with a great cast, this was a really fun film.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

8/10