After the Kingsman headquarters are destroyed and all their agents killed, Eggsy and Merlin go to America to partner organisation Statesman, to get help in bringing down The Golden Circle, an organisation holding drug users hostage...
Matthew Vaughn as co-writer and director, likes to do things his way. Stardust was like a fairytale but not your standard one, Kick-Ass was a superhero film...but not quite and the first Kingsman, The Secret Service, poked fun at the whole spy genre, while being one itself. In all of the above cases, he had strong source material to work from, a novel by Neil Gaiman for Stardust, A Mark Millar/ John Romita Jr. comic book and for Kingsman: The Secret Service another Mark Millar comic book, this time illustrated by Dave Gibbons. These three films are just great fun ones. Even his X-Men film, First Class, in its earlier scenes was less interested in the abilities and spectacle but rather the characters. It's something Vaughn and his regular co-writer Jane Goldman do very well indeed.
At its best, Kingsman: The Golden Circle keeps this going. The scenes with Eggsy and Harry (not a spoiler he's in the trailer) or with Merlin, and also between Eggsy and Tilde (his royal girlfriend he rescued in the fist film) are all great, especially those with Tilde as he tries to make the relationship work despite the demands of the job of an agent. The scenes with Harry, having lost his memory following the gunshot wound in the first film are actually quite touching at times. When the film focuses on these parts it's quite good indeed.
Where it is less successful is the main plot. The Golden Circle organisation, headed by a fifties obsessed woman called Poppy, is a drug cartel who wants drugs legalised and if not she will use her infected product to kill them all doesn't really work. It's a flaw that both Kingsman films have had, both having weak villains. Of course, you can look at this another way, in that both villains have plots that in some ways are well meaning to a degree, although you can question their methods and are stopped by agents who want things to stay exactly as they are in the world.
But the issue with the villain is that Poppy is a poorly written character. Her fifties obsession never fully works, the subplot with an abducted Elton John might have worked with a cameo, but it is extended too long, although there is one moment that works well. Her main henchman, Charlie, a failed Kingsman recruit, really isn't as menacing as you want him to be.
On the Kingsman/Statesman side, the new characters suffer too. While Eggsy, Harry and Merlin are well rounded characters, with their previous relationship, the new characters fair less well. agent Tequila and the head of Statesman, Champ are little more than extended cameos, while agents Whiskey and Ginger get a bit more to do.
Which is a shame as this has a truly great cast here. Taron Egerton plays Eggsy and is fun as he was in the first film. Mark Strong as Merlin and Colin Firth as Harry are great in support. Julianne Moore as Poppy is a terrific actress and does her best, but is let down by a poorly written character. Jeff Bridges and Channing Tatum as Champ and Tequila do what they can with their cameos while Halle Berry is better was Ginger as is Pedro Pascal as Whiskey.
The action, from the opening fight scene in a Taxi to the attack on Poppy's compound is well done on the whole, the design of the film is good as is the music.
There's no set-piece to rival the church scene from the first film but then, this is not trying to be that film. Like I said, writers Vaughn and Goldman seem more interested in the character interactions rather than the action and plot. There's nothing wrong with that approach, especially if you want to expand the characters and the world of the Kingsman.
But, I feel in this expansion and character work it's not as fun as the first film. I also think bringing Harry back is a mistake. His death in The Secret Service was a shock and helped develop the character of Eggsy. By bringing him back, like it has to be said, Agent Coulson was brought back in Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D after his 'death' in Avengers Assemble devalues that shock and surprise. It also means that in developing Harry in this new film it does take away from the story and other characters.
If comparing Kingsman: The Golden Circle to Bond films, a comparison I know the filmmakers won't like, it's a lesser Bond film. It suffers in the same way that the sequel to another Vaughn film, Kick-Ass does, in that both sequels weren't needed (though to be fair to Vaughn he's only a producer on Kick-Ass 2). Both have some good things in them, but the first film of each was enough I feel, the sequels weren't needed.
But for all my issues I didn't dislike the film. There is some fun stuff in there, the action keeps you entertained and despite some surprising weak writing from such a good writing team, the talented cast keep you interested too.
Considering how much I've liked some of Vaughn's previous films, Kingsman: The Golden Circle felt a bit of a letdown. However, for all my issues with the film, I was never bored by it and was entertained for the most part. The ending leaves it open for a third film, but I think The Golden Circle title says it all and does complete the story for the most part.
I would leave it there.
Rating - 3/5
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