Kingsman: The Golden Circle 4K/BD + BD Screen Caps

THE MOVIE — 3.5/5

Note: This review contains some major plot spoilers.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is the sequel to the 2015 sleeper hit based on the comic book from Mark Millar and artist Dave Gibbons. It kind of took the world by storm thanks to Matthew Vaughn’s unique style and taking the R-rating to the next level with its violence. And it was a fun experience that I still enjoy to this day. The sequel? Well, it mostly rehashes the same material with Vaughn’s camera work but I didn’t find it quite as entertaining.

The film takes place a year after the events of the first movie. Eggsy Unwin (TARON EGERTON) is a full-fledged Kingsman, a secret organization whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe, but a face from the past has come back, the being Charlie (EDWARD HOLCROFT), a Kingsman dropout whom Eggsy thought he took out during the climax of the last film, but instead Charlie has more or less turned into a Bond henchman sporting a bionic arm. He has more in mind than simple revenge, however and ultimate taps into the Kingsman database, which not sure how considering you would think they would have top level security… Well, Eggsy narrowly escapes but he much bigger things to think about, namely meeting the royal parents of his girlfriend, Princess Tilde (HANNA ALSTROM), with a little help from Roxy (SOPHIE COOKSON).

We are introduced to our conniving villain named Poppy Adams (JULIANNE MOORE) who has a vast worldwide drug network and cronies willing to do her bidding so much that they get branded with a circle made out of 24ct gold and having their teeth shaved and fingerprints removed. As demonstrated early on, she does not have patience for disloyalty. Oh, and she has a cool lair in the middle of nowhere in Cambodia called “Poppy Land” filled with nostalgia buildings and a theater where none other than a kidnapped Sir Elton John sings for her pleasure.

Meanwhile, during the dinner, the entire Kingsman organization is systematically assassinated with missiles honing in on the locations, fatalities include Roxy, Kingsman leader Arthur (MICHAEL GAMBON), one of Eggsy’s buddies house sitting as well as his beloved dog, JB. Outside of Eggsy, the only other surviving member is Merlin (MARK STRONG) and enacts the Doomsday protocol sending them to Kentucky to visit their American counterparts, the Statesman.

Upon visiting their distillery, their front for the operation, they meet Agents Tequila (CHANNING TATUM), Ginger (HALLE BERRY), Whiskey (PEDRO PASCAL) and the head man, Champ (JEFF BRIDGES), short of Champagne. Oh, and it just so happens they also saved their pal, though they didn’t know he was some sort of secret agent, Harry (COLIN FIRTH), who as you may recall, was shot in the head by the previous movie’s villain. To be honest, it was kind of BS how they even found him, but I suppose with a movie like this you’re supposed to go along with it.

Together, the remnants of Kingsman and the Statesman, with their resources, join forces to stop the nefarious Poppy in her plans to have, at least in America with the world hopefully following suit, to legalize all drugs.

The first Kingsman movie was a lot of fun and put a new, and violent, spin on the comic book movie, even before Deadpool and with Matthew Vaughn’s unique style culminating with a beautiful and bloody single-take scene with Firth’s Gallahan taking out an s-load of bad guys. With The Golden Circle, it’s more of the same but not quite as fun or entertaining, despite the great additions in the cast like Channing Tatum (although he spends a fair amount in a coma), Julianne Moore making for a formidable villain and Jeff Bridges and Halle Berry though, like Tatum, aren’t fully utilized but perhaps being in place for a Statesman spin-off.

The returning cast are all good, of course. Colin Firth, Taron Egerton and Mark Strong each have some nice scenes together, but none made a special impact, even in one case that, again, somewhat copies the original. Let’s just say, they can’t do what they did in the third movie. I’m keeping it vague to avoid a huge spoiler that could ruin the moment.

In the end, Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a fine follow-up to the 2015 original however a bit of a step down in terms of Vaughn’s style which doesn’t bring anything all that new to the table. Even so, and although it is a bit too long, I still had a good time and was fairly entertained thanks in large part to the cast.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 4.0/5

This release comes with a semi-glossy slip cover and inside, along with a Blu-ray copy, is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy.

Kingsman: Inside the Golden Circle (1:57:13; HD) is a nine-part making-of featurette providing behind-the-scenes footage and showcasing how the idea that came about bringing the story to America. Includes interviews with Matthew Vaughn, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore and others.

Black Cab Chaos: Anatomy of a Killer Chase (12:49; HD) breaks down the opening chase sequence from rehearsal to filming.

Kingsman Archives:

• Concept Art
• Stills

Theatrical Trailers (3:53; HD):

• Red Band Trailer 1
• Red Band Trailer 2

4K VIDEO – 4.75/5, BD VIDEO – 4.5/5

4K AUDIO – 5.0/5, BD VIDEO – 5.0/5

OVERALL – 4.25/5

Overall, Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a bit of a step down from the first film but thanks to the cast – primarily Colin Firth, Mark Strong and Julianne Moore – it does make for an entertaining enough sequel and I look forward to what should be the conclusion to the series in the next addition. The 4K UHD is another great release from Fox offering up amazing video/audio transfers and a good selection of features headlined by a nearly two-hour making-of documentary.