Let me first say that Kingsman was good. Worth going to see, but not as good as I was expecting. I enjoyed the original film Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) which had Taron Egerton’s “Eggsy” street kid recruited to the training program. I wasn’t as keen on the sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) which introduced the American Statesman organisation and a Golden Circle drug cartel.
From the trailer, this appeared to be as good as the original. This is a prequel, and is it is an origin story. It’s fast and loose with history, and quite far-fetched, but no more that what you might expect James Bond to be if set in the First World War. There is a new cast, none of the original characters were born, and Ralph Fiennes plays, British aristocrat Orlando, the Duke of Oxford.
I expected it to be more steampunk, more Wild, Wild West but the only gadget was a parachute. I expected The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but while it featured some of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds as agents, the head villain, The Shepherd, turned out to be quite pedestrian, while the Kingsman team was just the Duke of Oxford and his servants. Hard to believe that The Shepherd could orchestrate the whole world in his position, and his remote location. Where did he get his funding from if his parents were robbed of his inheritance?
The Duke progresses from pacifist, to drunk, to secret agent rather too quickly. The story of his son seemed rather disjointed and ended rather abruptly. I missed the additional mid-credits scene, having left before it came on. Audiences have given it a mixed reception and it is on course to make a loss.
From the trailer, this appeared to be as good as the original. This is a prequel, and is it is an origin story. It’s fast and loose with history, and quite far-fetched, but no more that what you might expect James Bond to be if set in the First World War. There is a new cast, none of the original characters were born, and Ralph Fiennes plays, British aristocrat Orlando, the Duke of Oxford.
I expected it to be more steampunk, more Wild, Wild West but the only gadget was a parachute. I expected The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but while it featured some of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds as agents, the head villain, The Shepherd, turned out to be quite pedestrian, while the Kingsman team was just the Duke of Oxford and his servants. Hard to believe that The Shepherd could orchestrate the whole world in his position, and his remote location. Where did he get his funding from if his parents were robbed of his inheritance?
The Duke progresses from pacifist, to drunk, to secret agent rather too quickly. The story of his son seemed rather disjointed and ended rather abruptly. I missed the additional mid-credits scene, having left before it came on. Audiences have given it a mixed reception and it is on course to make a loss.
