When Kingsman: The Secret Service exploded on to screens back in 2014 it was a bolt out of the blue, with a large part of its appeal down to originality and its ability to take conventions the spy genre possessed and turn them upside down, throwing over the top violence and a dark, yet obscene humour around with such abandon that the resulting film was a fast paced delight from start to finish. There are so many ideas packed in to Golden Circle’s lengthy 141 minute run time that it feels like it would have been better served being split across two films, especially with a second act that, for understandable reasons, has to take its time with a very important central issue. We’ll come to that shortly. The film opens with a fantastic car chase/fight involving director Matthew Vaughn’s usual flair for combining action with a pitch perfect soundtrack, and gives Eggsy – played again by Taron Egerton – a brutal encounter with an old nemesis that adds an immediate level of investment in the film and makes you feel right at home with the Kingsman universe again. Eggsy is also, quite unconventionally, pursuing a serious relationship with Princess Tilde (and no, there’s not a controversial follow up gag to match her statement from part one) while struggling with his dual lifestyle, calling upon help yet again from Merlin and Roxy. Harry Hart’s return comes with a story to explain just why he’s back, that I don’t want to spoil here. However, Vaughn and fellow screenwriter Jane Goldman don’t want the return of Harry to be considered too much of a cheat, so take time to draw out the process of just why and how he’s back, and invest quality time in this. But it feels like too much of a tonal shift for the Kingsman universe and weighs down the mid-section of the film quite heavily. It’s also hindered when added to a subplot involving a tracking device, that’s vulgar fun, but feels like it slows things down. Consequently, poor Eggsy really does have too much to deal with, as he’s caught up with a sexual moral conundrum, issues with Harry, his continued bond with Merlin and is put on assignment with a Burt Reynolds-esque lothario, Whiskey (Pedro Pascal, Game Of Thrones‘ Red Viper), while having to save the day. It’s no wonder the film feels a little cluttered. On top of the opening, action scenes throughout continue to innovate and excite in a way that only Vaughn seems capable of creating and the introduction of techno-whips, fused with (at one point) a unique take on Cameo’s Word Up will have you fighting the urge to stand up in your seat and cheer our heroes on. There’s also a whole host of new gadget related joy, that won’t be spoilt here that continue to make the Kingsman universe a great place to immerse yourself in. While Kingsman: The Golden Circle might suffer from the difficult second album syndrome, there are enough shocks and surprises to keep you invested and if not every aspect hits its mark, there’s a perfectly understandable reason as to why certain decisions were made – there’s also never going to be a way to top the original’s Firth-fuelled church bloodbath, ever. The world building towards a third chapter is welcome, even if it hinders the progress at times and hopefully the box office will be enough to give us the concluding third chapter, as The Golden Circle provides another slice of original insanity, peppered with colourful characters, great performances and yet another soundtrack to purchase. Kingsman: The Golden Circle is in UK cinemas from September 20th.
