It's been more than a month since my last review, which is primarily due to a lack of new movies releasing at the time of January as well as the theatres being closed in my area. I never had intention to see this movie, mainly since I wasn't in love with this particular franchise and director, but with a dry spell of movies for the first two months, I guess it wouldn't hurt watching this box-office dud. For those who aren't familiar, "Kingsman" is a spy franchise that is about colourful characters battling over-the-top villains. The first film was a solid introduction, even though I wasn't in love with the main lead and the cliched story formula. The second film, while not bad, damaged the brand due to its ridiculous writing, weak drama, and a continued use of racism that is depicted in these films along with other Matthew Vaughn films. As for the long delayed new installment, this film goes way back into the past as it covers the first World War and the man who would eventually find the espionage service in the attempts to stop Germany from winning the war due to the aid of a shadow organization. While the story does appear predictable, the film does incorporate some nice twists and turns that keeps the film far more fresh than it is. What really stands out from the story though is the tone. The first Kingsman had a balance of seriousness and over-the-top comedy and scenarios, while the second film doubled down too much on the craziness and comedy. This film is the most serious of the franchise, while incorporating few moments of absurdity and humour. It not only helps ground the film more in reality than the others, but it makes the dramatic aspects far more potent as it never once feels shallow or empty, unlike the previous films. Despite the seriousness, it's still a fun movie for the general crowd.
Ralph Fiennes as Orlando Oxford is the best protagonist that the franchise has received, not only due to Fiennes's acting, but also Orlando's distinct personality and growth. Orlando is a pacifist who must learn to make the hard choices in life and is overprotective of his adult son due to a family tragedy. The way the character grows and deals with the story throughout the runtime is resonating while also providing a bit of charm and wit. Harris Dickinson as Conrad, Orlando's son, comes off as a pretty bland character who just wants to do the right thing and make his father proud. Conrad however serves as a perfect red herring of the film as he is shockingly killed off in the second half of the film, which lets his character serve a huge deal to Orlando and the plot, but make his inclusion more interesting because of how vanilla his character is in these type of films. Djimon Hounsou as Shola is a great supporting role as the badass butler to Orlando and escapes the usual black guy dies trope in the process. Rhys Ifans as Rasputin is fantastic for the limited screentime he has by making the figure so over-the-top and enjoyable as a secondary villain. Matthew Goode as The Shepard is also a fun yet generic villain whose petty motivation is made up for his energetic performance. Aside from other supporting roles such as Tom Hollander as various historical leaders and Charles Dance as Kitchener, there are two characters that sink the film down. Gemma Arterson's Polly is a very generic"strong female" archetype that's over-confident and acts badass without given much depth, despite a lazily-forced love angle with Orlando. Aaron Taylor Johnson has a bit role as Archie Reid, the man who Conrad trades places with in the war and a founding member of the Kingsman, but he does nothing at all to gain that position, not even joining the climax to make up for Conrad's sacrifice. Lastly, the choice to kill Rasputin early in the film is a mistake as it not only serves as marketing fodder, but it does make the climax a bit one-sided to an extent. Despite this, the cast of characters are great with well-done performances all across the board, with Fiennes and Ifans stealing every scene.
Matthew Vaughn is a director I both love and hate. While I can't stand some of his films in regards of storytelling and writing, he always knows how to direct a film. So, imagine if you get the best parts of Vaughn as a director and a writer. Well, this is the film we get. The stylized, comic-book esque mixed with a sense of realism and restraint is the norm of Vaughn, but is best used in this film due to the setting and tone. Ben Davis does a fantastic job with the cinematography as the camera zooms or pans to various locations while tracking specific subjects or people. It makes the action have spectacle, but keeps the somber scenes untouched to savour the mood. The score by Matthew Margeson and Dominic Lewis is good for a typical action film set in that era along with some great dramatic cues. The soundtrack is also restricted to that era, primarily using classical music, until the credits which is a nice touch. The effects are good for the budget it has, as Vaughn tries to make his action in camera as much as possible, so the effects are used for locations, green-screen or objects that wouldn't be pulled off with a limited budget. Lastly, there's the action. While the church scene in the first film will always be the most recognizable sequence of the franchise, this film carries the best action in regards to consistency and memorability. The Rasputin fight is the most over-the-top combat in the film with the music and choreography, the fight amongst the covert ops in the trenches is well-shot and paced with no music to match the intensity of the situation, and the climax is a typically robust way to end a movie like this with brutes, sword-fights, and gory deaths. It completely overshadows the action from the second movie and the majority of the action from the first. It has taken me a while to get around, but I now can't wait to see what Vaughn does next as a director.
"The King's Man" is the most refined of the franchise to date. While a few characters are underdeveloped or under-utilized, the film has the best story due to its serious tone, themes and historical context, Fiennes's Orlando being the most compelling character in the series, Ifans and Goode as Rasputin and the Shepherd are enjoyably over-the-top villains, the side cast is strong with Dickinson, Honsou, Hollander, and Dance to name a few, the camerawork by Davis is just as great as it gets, the score by Margeson and Lewis is good and fits the movie well, the effects are well-implemented, the action sequences are fantastic, and Vaughn's directing continues to show that he is a gifted filmmaker in the visuals and style. It's a shame Disney went out of its way to make this film bomb in order to not finance more movies with these characters and feel. Here's hoping that the third Kingsman learns from this prequel.
Verdict: 8.5/10. The best film from the franchise to date. If you want a clever, emotionally-packed action movie that's not Spider-Man, this is a good one to see during a rather slow February.
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