Film review - Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Let me say from the outset that I was a huge fan of the first film, I loved its crass wit and sometimes childish humour.

For me, the action-packed spectacle was just icing on the cake.

Needless to say when I got my tickets for this film in the mail I was near bubbling with excitement.

In the lead-up to the release, I prayed that the sequel would not be a sub-par cash grab, but the trailers gave me hope.

Regardless, on the night of the event I set my personal opinions aside and after a quick 'Statesman' cocktail I set off into the theatre.

The film picks up right where its predecessor left off and jumps straight into the action with a long chase scene and some spectacular fireworks.

Personally, I found this start a little bit jarring and it ends up playing a much bigger role in the film than I anticipated.

That's one of the big things about this movie it never feels like it really takes a step back to set things up like the first film.

It felt like it was just one action set piece after the other.

Now, this kept the film exciting, but it also made it feel like it lacked depth.

That's not to say that there weren't quieter moments, it just felt like they were over before they could have their desired effect.

The movie seemed to amplify the things the original got a lot of praise for, the humour and action.

Now I am generally a quiet moviegoer and whenever someone belts out laughing or gasps in the seat next to me I glare angrily.

Yet, at several points in this film, I found myself laughing at the dirty jokes and dark humour.

I wasn't alone in this, the theatre often echoed with the laughs.

Simply put the wit and humour was on point and landed in exactly the right moments.

The wit and action are seamlessly integrated into an ass-kicking spectacle.

If you like action this is the movie for you, from spectacular martial arts to western gun-slinging the action set pieces were incredible.

The actors, stunt teams and film editors really did a phenomenal job in putting these scenes together.

Once again the cast of the film thoroughly delivered, however, I did feel like some of the big names were a bit underused.

Pedro Pascal brought just the right amount of southern charm to bring the gun-slinging, whip-cracking cowboy secret agent to life.

Julianne Moore also did a great job playing the deranged super villain Poppy, she brought a solid mix of cold-calculation and pure insanity.

The original cast also performed exceptionally and this leads to some pretty heartwarming scenes and heartbreaking moments.

Two actors that I felt were underused were Channing Tatum and Halle Berry, however, it would seem like they are setting up for a third film and I expect to see more of these two.

Oh! How could I forget, Elton John is in this film, a lot.

All I can say is get ready to see this star like never before.

Overall Kingsman: The Golden Circle was a very, very enjoyable film if you like dark humour and action.

Needless to say that this isn't a family-friendly movie and I would most definitely not suggest taking the kids to it.

But, if you liked the first film or even just like plain ol' action flicks then I can wholeheartedly recommend this movie.