I walked into “Kingsman: The Secret Service” unsure of what I would think. I left feeling basically the same.
“Kingsman” is based on a 2012 comic books series about spies. The movie is centered around a group of top secret spies in England, known as the Kingsmen. When one of the members of the Kingsmen dies, the remaining members must nominate one new person as a replacement.
One of the members nominates Eggsy (Taron Egerton), who is the movie’s protagonist. Eggsy must compete with the other people nominated to become the next Kingsman. Eggsy’s father saved the life of Harry Hart (Colin Firth), and Hart nominates Eggsy even though he is from a different background than most of the Kingsmen.
The movie has many devices used in the James Bond films, with spies who are also classy “gentlemen” and often fighting in suits.
Despite having many elements of a classic spy movie, don’t be mistaken. “Kingsman” is practically a parody of the classics. The movie consisted of fight scenes set to party music, every stereotypical spy gadget you can imagine, and even poked fun at the James Bond films with characters sometimes telling each other “this is not that kind of movie.”
While the movie was highly entertaining, it is not for the faint of heart. The movie is filled with many fight scenes and a lot of violence. But the violence was so over the top, it was hardly believable. The villain (Samuel L. Jackson), a billionaire tech mogul, is presented as practically humorous. He’s middle-aged, yet dresses like a teenager and chooses to serve McDonald’s at a formal dinner. His assistant, a woman with sword feet, is presented the same way.
However, even with all of the humor brought to the movie, it still managed to keep viewers on the edge of their seat. There was a near-perfect balance between ridiculous humor and suspense.
If over-the-top movies and spies are something you like, this movie is definitely for you.
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