Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Cast: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Channing Tatum, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry and Elton John.

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Release Date: 2017

Running Time: 2hrs 21 minutes

Genre: Action/Comedy

Rating: 15

Format: Theatrical Cinema Release

Synopsis:

When the Kingsman headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, Eggsy discovers an allied spy organisation in the US, these two secret organisations must work together to defeat a common enemy.

When the Kingsman headquarters are destroyed by psychopath Poppy Adams (Moore) Eggsy (Egerton) and Merlin must find their way to another secret organization held in Kentucky, called Statesman. The two headquarters must work together to take down the so called Golden Circle. The adventure that unfolds around them is certainly one to remember. Starring Taron Egerton who finds himself in a just a spot of trouble in the opening sequence. The story is primarily about Eggsy, Harry Hart (Firth) does make an appearance, however his is not the man who you knew in the first film. Did I forget to mention Elton John makes an appearance?

Julianne Moore stars as psychopath Poppy Adams, a crazed woman who lives in Poppy Land. A 1950's styled lair, complete with a retro diner and robotic dogs. Adams runs a secret drug organization called The Golden Circle, where she has conjured up an evil virus that will effect anyone who has taken cannabis, cocaine, heroin or crystal meth, turning their skin blue, eventually paralysing them. This is done in the hope that the United States will legalise all illegal drugs, allowing her to have unlimited power. Moore delivers a very interesting and funny performance. Dr Evil meets James Bond. Eggsy and Harry Hart once again make the ultimate fighting team. In the midst of them meeting up we're also introduced to Tequila (Tatum), Whisky (Pedro Pascal) and Ginger (Halle Berry) who must help them find Poppy's secret lair.

The storyline is certainly not one to be taken seriously. The first movie was "James Bond" meets "Mission Impossible" this time around imagine "James Bond" meets "Austin Powers", the storyline was very well thought out, however there were moments where I found myself getting a tiny bit bored, waiting for something to happen. Naturally a good director will build up his suspense, before unleashing the climax, however I found Matthew Vaughn, focused too much on characters and not the storyline. The stunt sequences throughout the course of the film are spectacular, particularly the opening sequence involving Eggsy and a black cab.

Fantastically action packed from beginning to end, the action is very coherently shot and looks excellent on screen. A tremendous soundtrack featuring legendary artists including Prince and Elton John. A magnificent sequel with a humorous twist, I did however find the film to be a little bit too long, with a couple of scenes that dragged on longer than they needed to.

All in all a very entertaining film and certainly one of the best sequels I've seen.

4/5 stars