by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
When the world is in peril, there’s only one top secret agency to turn to: Kingsman! As you are reading this, you might not have a clue as to who the Kingsman agents are or why you would care. Is this just a James Bond knock-off? Will these characters hold a candle to Sterling Archer, Super-Spy? Kingsman: The Secret Service, the cinematic adaptation of The Secret Service comic by Mark Millar (Kick-Ass) and Director Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass), is a refreshing take on the spy genre that will definitely leave audiences excited for more.
Having witnessed the death of his fellow agent, Harry Hart a.k.a. Agent Galahad (Colin Firth, The King’s Speech) takes it upon himself to deliver a Medal of Honor to his surviving relative, a little boy named Eggsy. This medal will grant Eggsy a personal favor should he ever need assistance in the future. The story jumps to 17 years later, where we learn that life hasn’t been very kind to Eggsy (Taron Egerton, Testament of Youth). After a reckless joyride leaves him stuck in police custody, he decides that it might be time to call in that favor. Galahad arrives to escort Eggsy away, and offers him a chance to turn his life around. Eggsy’s father was a member of the top secret Kingsman agency, and Galahad offers Eggsy a chance to train and follow in his father’s footsteps. While Eggsy is learning about the world of spies, we learn about a potential global threat from Billionaire Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson, Marvel’s The Avengers) who has taken it upon himself to end the over-population issue that faces our planet. With the end of the world drawing near, it will be up to Eggsy and the agents of Kingsman to save the day.
In addition to Firth, Jackson, and Egerton, Kingsman: The Secret Service also features Michael Caine (The Dark Knight Trilogy), Mark Strong (Kick-Ass), Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Sophie Cookson (Moonfleet) and Sofia Boutella (Monsters: Dark Continent). One of the reasons the movie worked as well as it did was due to the overall chemistry of the cast. Firth and Egerton play off eachother in a fantastic manner, Samuel L. Jackson’s interesting performance as Valentine works surprisingly well along side Sofia Boutella (who provides sexy, yet deadly, assistance throughout the story). The only disappointing performance overall was from Michael Caine, who just seemed to “phone it in” for this one. Some of the most amusing moments in the film came from the vocal choices for the characters, specifically for Jackson (speaking with a non-threatening lisp), and Mark Hamill (who used his Batman: The Animated Series Joker voice for the role).
The cinematography of Kingsman was one of the most interesting elements of the entire experience. Vaughn’s directorial style is very apparent throughout the film, but clearly stands out during the fight sequences. One of the best segments of the film takes place in a Church, where all hell breaks lose. Once the action kicks in, the camera follows the insanity in one seamless shot, refocusing the attention of the audience as the chaos ensues.
During the course of Kingsman, there is an internal debate within the story itself about whether or not the narrative is a throwback to the old James Bond films. Will the villain reveal his plot for world domination, only to have the hero escape and save the day? While the characters in the movie make several statements saying that this is NOT one of those stories, the narrative does (in the end) fall back on some old cliches. Does this detract from the narrative as a whole? Yes and no. The film on many levels succeeds at achieving an exciting new take on the spy concept, but doesn’t fully make the leap to be new in its entirety. It is very interesting to see how hard the film attempts to fight against those specific tropes, only to resort to several predictable moments in order to wrap things up nicely.
Overall
The quick pacing and entertaining (yet extremely violent) action sequences really made this movie a fun movie experience from beginning to end. I was extremely surprised by this film as a whole, and had pretty low expectations going in (the marketing material really didn’t do it justice). Kingsman: The Secret Service is a solid addition to 2015’s cinematic landscape, and I have no doubt that this is the beginning of a new and exciting film series.
ComicsOnline gives Kingsman: The Secret Service 4 out of 5 spy gadgets.
