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10/05/2017 12:01 AMRated R
Once again, director/writer Michael Vaughn spearheads a Kingsman action comedy in which blood and gore reign supreme over laughs, but at least the laughs are more accessible in the sequel. The actors (a grand array), some returning from the first film, Kingsman: The Secret Service, step in and out of the action to maintain a brisk pace in their tongue-in-cheek roles. In Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the humor often goes way over the top, unless watching a man getting ground up in a huge meat grinder (reminiscent of the wood chopper scene in Fargo), then served as a cheeseburger by the villain to her cohort as a test of his allegiance, entertains some viewers. Even the gleeful face of Poppy (Julianne Moore: Still Alice, The Hunger Games series) couldn’t distract this viewer from a stomach churning. Adding a woman’s perspective with Jane Goldman, who wrote with Vaughn on the first film and Kick-Ass, doesn’t do much to strengthen any actress’s part, even if a venomous female leads the way.
With bagpipes playing in the background, Eggsy (Taron Egerton, Eddie the Eagle) emerges from the Kingsman’s headquarters (a clothing shop) and the fledgling recruit is all grown up. Egerton reprises his role as somewhat the main character and instantly finds himself in battle with Charlie, a rejected Kingsman (Edward Holcroft: Kingsman: The Secret Service, TV’s Wolf Hall), who brandishes a robotic arm to give Eggsy quite the challenge. After flying around and upside down with Eggsy in a souped-up taxi, it appears that Charlie, now Poppy’s henchman, is sending the first hint of trouble to come. Poppy, a drug cartel leader, is releasing a virus that quickly kills any drug user, which means millions will die and the Kingsmen must save the world.
In one of the more pleasant visuals, Poppy has designed a retro ’50s headquarters in the middle of her jungle hideout. Moore fits perfectly into her diner, donning a colorful apron for her meat grinder moment, and remaining cheerfully coquettish surrounded by her gleaming equipment.
When Poppy destroys the Kingsman headquarters, Eggsy and survivor, Merlin, played again by the stone-faced Mark Strong (The Imitation Game), must turn to an American secret agency, the Statesman, headed by Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water, Crazy Heart), who calls himself Champ, short for champagne. Because the agency is hidden within a Kentucky distillery, everyone has the name of a liquor. Channing Tatum (The Hateful Eight, Magic Mike XXL) is Tequila; Pedro Pascal (TV’s Game of Thrones, Narcos), who acts like a young Burt Reynolds, is Whiskey; and Halle Berry (X-Men series, Kings), as a nerdy agent is the non-alcoholic Gingerale, Ginger for short. What is supposed to be fun turns tedious after the first name. They all wear cowboy hats, except Ginger.
With electrified lassos and more James Bond-like gadgets, such as a baseball bat with lethal powers to offset Harry Hart’s umbrella—yes, Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) returns his character from the dead—the characters are off and running into slow-motion, dizzying fights.
Joining forces with Americans doesn’t heighten Kingsman, but clutters the mix, even if the killer robot dogs are kind of cute. Oh right, and Poppy’s signature golden circle, which she embosses on her followers in real gold, doesn’t carry its weight in gold. In spite of glitzy visuals, ever-shocking slicing and dicing of limbs, and actors who jockey for center stage, Kingsman number two is only slightly more eye-catching than number one.