Everything seems to be on track for cinema’s final months of the year. Sure, that demented clown ruled the box office for a couple of weeks, but Ben and Jake are here now with some real “Oscar bait” flicks that will usher in the season of serious film works. Hmm, not so fast. Looks like another comics-inspired franchise is blasting into the multiplex. Now, the JLA and Thor are still many weeks away, but this series is more Bond and Bourne than Marvel and DC. Oh, and it’s from graphic novel/ movie adapter veteran Matthew Vaughn. He injected most welcomed energy to the Marvel mutants with X-MEN: FIRST CLASS in 2011, just a year after spicing up that genre with the R-rated KICK-ASS. His follow-up in 2014 was the “origin/training” tale of a super-secret (“veddy veddy” hush-hush, you know) organization whose operatives are impeccably dressed, well-mannered gentlemen (think TV’s John Steed…squared) in the unexpected smash KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE. So, have they been at rest, polishing their shoes and pressing their suits in the last three years? The second in the series, KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE, should answer that question.
On the streets of modern day London, Eggsy AKA Agent Galahad (Taron Egerton) is under attack by sinister forces lead by someone thought dead at the end of the last big mission, rejected agency recruit Charlie (Edward Holcroft). After escaping them, Eggsy meets up with tech-wiz Merlin (Mark Strong) under a lake (they’ve got lotsa’ underground hiding spots). Eggsy must dash away and escort his girlfriend, Princess (of Sweden, from the first flick) Tilde (Hanna Alstrom) to a birthday party for him thrown by his old “mates” from the neighborhood. But it turns out that old Charlie had a little something up his “bioniclly enhanced” sleeve. Just who is really behind this security breach? His boss, the world’s biggest drug kingpin, the master criminal genius known as Poppy (Julianne Moore). Hidden away at the top of a jungle mountain, in a village designed to look like a 1950’s neighborhood complete with a diner (she loved the nostalgia craze of the 70’s…GREASE, “Happy Days”, y’know), she unleashes deadly missiles that annihilate the Kingsman. Well, everybody but Eggsy and Merlin, luckily. They meet in a hidden room at a spirits shoppe, and open a safe containing a bottle of Kentucky bourbon. This sends them across the pond, hoping to track down their enemies. There the two men are approached by their US counterparts, the agency known as the “Statesmen”, headed by Champaign AKA “Champ” (Jeff Bridges). Merlin meets his American double (not quite), scientist Ginger (Halle Beery), while Eggsy is introduced to agents Tequila (Channing Tatum) and Whiskey (Pedro Pascal). Then Champ stuns his guests by revealing an old friend behind a one-way mirror: the supposedly deceased Harry Hart, the first Galahad (Colin Firth)! That’s just the first surprise as they join forces to thwart the deadly, devious Poppy.
Just as in the last installment, Egerton is an energetic action hero, evoking memories of Michael J. Fox in his late 80’s glory, not only in stature, but in confident attitude and charisma. Eggsy is at home hangin’ with her ‘buds or impressing royalty at a swanky. And he can literally charm the pants off a high-class “deb” who has vital intel (take that, Mr. Bond). He’s got a terrific rapport with Strong as the brainiac who can put him in his place with a quick retort. This time out, Firth is the one in need of training, since his…accident… has left him in a thick fog (butterflies appear at the worst times) and those razor-sharp reflexes are dulled (a call back to a fave scene from the first doesn’t go smoothly). The best addition and improvement is Moore’s twisted take on June Cleaver (yes, she wields a really sharp one) with the perennially peppy Poppy (just thought Samuel L Jackson was too goofy in the earlier flick). Her twinkly grin makes her demeanor near impossible to gauge giving her crimes an extra quirk. The US agents aren’t as interesting as their Brit brothers. Bridges reprises his guttural drawl , seeming more cattle baron than strategist. Berry is perky and assured, but is mostly a sounding board for Merlin as she pines to be out in the “field”. Pascal (I really thought he was Jeremy Renner when I saw the first teasers) has a good cowboy swagger as he echoes Indiana Jones with his glowing lasso and retractable bullwhip. Speaking of teasers, that sums up Tatum’s role here. Though he’s featured heavily in the marketing, his Tequila character is taken out of the story for nearly an hour, literally “on ice”. Of course, he’s great in the first encounter with Eggsy and Merlin, which gives the rest of the film a “bait and switch” vibe. But kudos to the always wonderful Bruce Greenwood for his comic turn as a funny doofus Prez.
Vaughn delivers the action goods and should satisfy the many fans of the first flick. The high-tech gadgets are inventive and fun, especially during the opening car chase (that’s something considering all the similar scenes in this year’s action movie crop). Poppy has a unique master plan that lobs a few laughs at current politics (the first one jabbed the other end of the political spectrum). And her hideout is not the standard “airplane hangar” supervillain lair (though it really resembled downtown Hill Valley from BACK TO THE FUTURE). Plus there’s another pop icon (Mark Hamill last time) that provides some nice comic bits. Unfortunately, at 140 minutes, the film feels bloated, losing some of the bouncy light spirit of the former flick. Many action set pieces go on for too long (most of the ski lift stuff) and border on tedious, with one ending trying to “top” the next. The script from Vaughn and Jane Goldman needed another pass or two to shake the “excess” off, or to tighten up some character relations (there’s little spark between Eggsy and Tilde). And the killer “robo-dogs” felt like something from a 90’s straight-to-video title. With KINGMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE there’s plenty of “bang” (and “booms”) for your movie buck, but at the cost of much of the charm and wit of their introductory flick. Put the bowlers back in the hatbox till a better mission comes along
3 Out of 5
