"Kingsman: The Golden Circle" hit theaters Friday, Sept 22nd and the reviews have thus far been lower than predicted. The sequel to the 2015 unexpected breakout hit, "Kingsman: The Secret Service," is based on the Comic Book series written by Mark Millar, published on Icon and Image comics. With an impressive cast, including Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Halle Berry, Julianne Moore, Elton John, plus reprises by Colin Firth and Taron Egerton, the film has no shortage of star power. The comedic sequel is ripe with all the James Bond-style gadgetry, like bulletproof machine gun umbrellas, and missile launching briefcases, which made the original a hit.
The action choreography, with its slow-motion acrobatics and bone-crushing violence, pummels the viewer in ways that feel closer to the Matrix than a traditional spy film. As far as comic book adaptations go, "The Golden Circle" delivers as advertised. So why are critics giving the sequel such a hard time?
Before you bash Kingsman 2, do some homework
"The Golden Circle," which is currently hovering around a 50% (but has a 75% audience score, mind you) on Rotten Tomatoes, has critic after critic regurgitating the same essential message, too much ridiculous hyper action. One review stated, "It's James Bond on laughing gas and too much of everything." This wasn't meant to be positive, but for people attracted to the franchise for the same reasons as the comic series, this makes an excellent case for the film.
A point I feel that is lost on many critics is that Kingsman is essentially a traditional spy film superhero hybrid. The film is campy and ridiculous by design, and the sequel clearly doubled down on those elements. As far as the death-defying action is concerned, it's safe to say they easily tripled down. These were the components that brought the franchise to popularity in the first place, so why not go with what worked to begin with?
In a world of comic adaptations, The Golden Circle stands out.
With all the (seemingly endless) comic books and graphic novels which have found their way to the big and small screens over the years, the Kingsman franchise feels refreshing. It's exactly what it's designed to be, a cheeky, over-the-top gadget-laden slugfest. Yes, the action can be too much at times and the interpersonal character building can seem lacking at times, but so is almost every other superhero comic adaptation currently dominating pop culture.
To those bashing "The Golden Circle" for not fully realizing the potential of its predecessor, I say, you're looking at the film with the wrong set of eyes. The sequel in many ways hyper-focused on the foundation of the original and delivered in spades. At the end of the day, if hilarious action-driven comic adaptations aren't your thing, maybe spend your time criticising forms of cinema you better understand.
