So I was kind of surprised that the third installment is going to be a prequel. However, I remained excited as director Matthew Vaughan was still involved as well as it containing a whole bunch of new cast to this series.
While I have only seen the Kingsman films at the cinemas, seeing this one certainly made me want to check them out again.
I was surprised at how drama filled it was. It felt more like a war drama than a spy action comedy blockbuster which we associate with this franchise.
Don't worry, it still has those over the top moments that you expect in Kingsman. But Vaughan and his team certainly concentrated more on the drama side of the story. Thankfully, I was kind of fine with these tonal shifts as they felt they blended in well for the most part.
I'm not sure it will work for everyone as there is a lot of ideas overlapping themselves. I was certainly on board with it.
I liked how they were using real world moments in history to incorporate the story and the way it ended has me really intrigued as to where the follow-up will go.
I will say that there were some scenes that shocked me in both a good and bad way and the final act had one big let down. But thankfully, it didn't effect my overall views on the film.
In fact, I think it can work as a standalone film and so doesn't force you to watch the first two Kingsman. But there are the obviously references that fans of the franchise will get.
One aspect that I think helped with the changes in tone was the cast, who were solid all-round. Ralph Fiennes is as great as you would expect, carried the film well and was believable at kicking some ass. Another that continues to show how underrated they are as an actor was Djimon Hounsou. Not only does it look like he hasn't aged a day since his breakthrough in Stargate back in 1994. But he can still hang it with the best and he deserves to be in more major studio projects.
Harris Dickinson was an unexpected surprise. The newcomer has been going from strength to strength in the last couple of years, and this could be a career best for him. A portion of the film that ended up being the most emotional for me, was down to him. So seeing the weight that Dickinson gave to this film shows that he is ready for bigger projects.
As for the majority of the rest of the supporting cast, there were some casting choices that really pleased me. Gemma Arterton is as solid as ever. Plus, I was pleased to see the talented faces of Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, Rhys Ifans, Daniel Bruhl, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tom Hollander, the under appreciated August Diehl, Valerie Pachner and Stanley Tucci.
One aspect that is important to work in a Kingsman film, is the action and the way it is shot seems to be unique to this film series. While I felt it was a bit much in The Golden Circle, this felt a bit more held back whilst still feeling like a Kingsman. That felt like the right move as it gave more coverage to the characters and paid off from my point of view.
The visual effects are still great and apart from one moment, never took me out of the film and felt seamless with the practical parts.
I think the only I felt was a let down, was the attempted comedy. While it did concentrate more on being a drama, there was some comedic moments in there. But I just felt none of them hit, and yet didn't downgrade my enjoyment. They were just obvious and there.
In the end, I was really pleased at how much I enjoyed watching it. It was a lot of fun, the story blended well with the action and flowed nicely, the story was well developed, there were strong surprises that were bold yet rewarding and it felt instantly rewatchable. It is definitely one of those films that while it won't break any new ground with its genre, you can have a fun time with this one.
Finally, I must mention that there is a mid-credits scene and it is worth staying for. It certainly has me intrigued into where this series will be heading.
Rating: 7/10
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