Contemporary, violent and exciting were the three qualities that I attributed to the original Kingsman film. A title that surprised me in a positive way and I looked forward to the sequel. Of course you know in advance that the initial surprise will not be there anymore (the same was the case for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 for example), but that does not have to be bad if that sequel knows how to entertain. Does Kingsman: The Golden Circle succeed in that?
After the events of part one Eggsy obviously still works for the Kingsman. During a spectacular opening, which at times resembles a Gymkhana video by Ken Block, he is attacked by an old acquaintance. Although he knows how to shake off his attacker, extremely sensitive information about Kingsman and their agents is now compromised. This means that the Kingsman have to go to America to ask for help from a “colleague” spy organization, so that they can fight a new, common enemy who wants to make the drug trade legal and can literally make decisions about the lives of millions of people.
The Golden Circle follows the first film in terms of action, humor (and coarseness). So if you were a fan of the original, this title also offers more than enough to enjoy. Julianne Moore clearly enjoys her role as a villain Poppy who is obsessed with mid-century America, has created a unique world that feels original, including a bizarre role for a big pop artist. The other spy organization is fun and it’s a pleasure to watch Pedro Pascal, Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges. Halle Berry does not get too much to do and her character feels as a weak addition. The situations the characters end up in are things we’ve seen before in Bond films, but not in the way they are shown here. At least I can’t remember any finger condoms and shots of inserting something. With a running time of 2 hours and 21 minutes the film is long, but personally I didn’t think that was an issue. If you consider that the initial version was more than three hours and the studio considered to release it as two parts (which luckily did not happen), I hope that director Matthew Vaughn will release a director’s cut. Because this second part was again very entertaining.
