Movie Info
Movie Name: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Studio: Marv Films
Genre(s): Action/Adventure/Comic Book
Release Date(s): December 13, 2014 (Butt-Numb-A-Thon)/January 29, 2015 (UK)/February 13, 2015 (US)
MPAA Rating: R
Kingsman: Saving the World from Pugs Everywhere…
In a posh London tailor shop is one of the biggest intelligence agencies in the world. Kingsman is out to protect the people and is now searching for a new recruit. Eggsy (Taron Egerton), son of a former Kingsman, is about to learn the secret of his father’s organization …if he can survive the training. As Eggsy and the other new recruits are put through the rigors of the Kingsman program, billionaire Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) is hatching a plot of his own using a specially made SIM cards. As the SIM cards filter out into the world, Kingsman learns of the plot, and Eggsy finds himself thrusted into a world he never expected.
Directed by Matthew Vaughn, Kingsman: The Secret Service is based on the Icon spy comic book series The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. The movie premiered in 2014, but received a wide release in 2015. The film was a massive financial success (primarily in the overseas markets) and received positive reviews.
The trailer for Kingsman did nothing for me. I saw it, and frankly, it looked quite bad. When the film was released I started hearing buzz on the internet and finally got to see it after it was released on Blu-Ray/DVD…I wish I hadn’t waited.
Things are about to get crazy…Play Freebird!!!
The story for Kingsman is loosely based around the comic book and is not a true adaptation. It is a weird homage/mocking of the spy genre from James Bond to The Avengers (the British one…not the superhero one) to Jason Bourne. This story however works and comes off as a great action story. It takes a bit to get going through some of the training parts but it ratchets to the next tier once Firth goes to the United States and continues to excite through the end of the film.
Taron Egerton might be the star of the film and holds his own in the movie by the end of the film. The first half of the film, however, Egerton is largely overshadowed by Colin Firth who steals every scene he’s in and shows even he can be an action star. Samuel L. Jackson plays his typical maniacal villain (but more tongue-in-cheek awareness) and Michael Caine has a relatively small role as the head of Kingsman. Dancer Sofia Boutella also is a scene stealer as the murderous amputee henchman and Mark Strong plays the Kingsman trainer. Mark Hamill has a small role as Professor James Arnold and actually (as himself) was an integral part of the comic book.
Everybody was kung-fu fighting!
The visuals for the movie are great. They are over the top, but also possess a familiar James Bond-esque style to them. It is fast, flashy, and has multiple parts that are surprisingly brutal and unexpected. The peak of the action however doesn’t come at the end of the film (which is very action filled), but a fight scene in Kentucky which is great.
Kingsman: The Secret Service was a nice surprise. The movie is fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously but still has enough action to please the action crowd. With a positive response, the movie almost immediately had sequel talk and Kingsman: The Secret Service was followed by Kingsman: The Golden Circle in 2017.
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