Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

September 20, 2017 6:27 PM

When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, the Kingsman's journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US. These two elite secret organizations must band together to defeat a common enemy.
posted by sciatrix (20 comments total)

Good finish for Merlin. Casting Mark Strong against type was as fruitful in this as it was in the original. Certainly got better use out of him than most of the Americans signed up for some nothing roles. Pedro Pascal is turning up more and more and seems pretty good in everything.

Wins prize for Best use of Sir Elton John in a Major Motion Picture.
posted by biffa at 4:47 PM on September 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

I enjoyed it. Good mostly mindless fun. Agreed on Mark Strong and Sir Elton.

... but as a recent Texan expat, this movie isn't going to help me make my case that not all Americans wear cowboy hats, listen to country music, and drink whiskey.
posted by Seeba at 4:10 AM on September 23, 2017

That fairly describes me, and I'm a Minnesotan.
posted by maxsparber at 10:41 AM on September 23, 2017

If have to go out in pieces like that, I want to go singing my favorite song like Merlin, not saying “shit” like Lancelot.
posted by infinitewindow at 10:44 AM on September 24, 2017 [2 favorites]

Wrote about the film for my blog.
posted by maxsparber at 7:37 AM on September 25, 2017

I enjoyed it for what it was - good silly fun (with a touch of sadness for Lancelot and Merlin).

I enjoyed the repeat of the bar fight scene, but everyone in the audience laughed at the bar patron who instigated the fight because his anger and aggression really came out of nowhere, but he threw some good insults.

I loved all of Agent Whiskey's fight scenes.
posted by Julnyes at 2:06 PM on September 25, 2017

Despite Mark Millar being one of the most awful misogynists in the comic book business I did quite enjoy the kinetic mindlessness of the first Kingsman, especially Firth in such a fun (I imagine, for him) role.

Also, maxsparber, thanks for that article about snakeshead trade whisky!
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:20 PM on September 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

As someone who grew up in West Virginia, it was weird hearing Country Roads applied when the primary US setting was... Kentucky? A bit perplexing, and it seemed like they were intentionally leaving out the state name, up until the end.

One of my friends is a self-professed lover of terrible movies, and she hated this. I enjoyed it quite a bit though it can't beat the first for sheer absurdity simply because this time they had to top what the did last go-round.
posted by miratime at 12:14 PM on September 27, 2017 [2 favorites]

They were in Cambodia when he sang the song, in ancient ruins that had been rebuilt into a Grease the movie version of the 1950s, so Americanism in general had gotten quite nonspecific at that moment.
posted by maxsparber at 12:19 PM on September 27, 2017 [2 favorites]

They were in Cambodia when he sang the song, in ancient ruins that had been rebuilt into a Grease the movie version of the 1950s, so Americanism in general had gotten quite nonspecific at that moment.

Okay I was pretty lukewarm on watching this movie but that sentence has piqued my interest.
posted by ian1977 at 6:37 AM on September 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

Saw this tonight at a preview in Paris as it comes out in France next week, a completely packed cinema! Really fun, and perfect for a home sick Brit.
posted by ellieBOA at 1:24 PM on October 3, 2017

The politics of these movies are so confusing. It seems they're going by a formula where the villain is always working toward a leftist goal using methods so evil that they seem to discredit that goal. And the methods are so stupid and bizarre that you can tell the writers were twisting themselves in knots trying to think of ways to make good causes sinister.

Kingsman 1's villain was trying to stop climate change from killing everyone by... killing everyone.

Kingsman 2's villain was trying to legalize drugs by killing all drug users.

I'm calling it here, Kingsman 3's villain is going to try and pass gun control laws by shooting all gun owners.

Good action movies, but they're so, SO stupid!
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 8:56 AM on October 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

Also, it’s really messed up that they used a real, highly publicized case of tainted drugs as a fun quirk of their villain’s plan.

In 1982, a bad batch of synthetic heroin caused an outbreak of artificially-induced Parkinson’s that left many users paralyzed. This would have been prevented by sane drug laws; if heroin were legalized, then it could be procured from legitimate, regulated sources. Heroin’s illegality directly led to this outcome. In Kingsman 2, this real tragedy was perverted to be a strike AGAINST legalization of heroin. What the fuck, screenwriters?
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 10:04 AM on October 4, 2017

Saw this a couple of days ago. Enjoyed it for the most part, but it was way too long. We could have lost half an hour without missing much.

It's so sweet that the sex as reward in the first movie was transformed into a loving and lasting relationship for the sequel. I was rooting for them as a couple.

Julianne Moore fucking delivered, but that should be no surprise to anyone. Elton John stole the show. I enjoyed that Channing Tatum's role was more cameo than fleshed out.

Good finish for Merlin.

Heartily disagree. The mines can be deactivated! Let them take you in then provide distraction until you get rescued!
posted by ODiV at 8:51 AM on October 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

If I was Merlin I'd be pissed that despite constantly signaling to the Galahads to move in, neither of them used the distraction he was creating to get in past the gate and they both ended up slipping through at the last moment. Also, it really seems like someone should have told Eggsy about the doomsday protocol when he became an agent, rather than hoping someone survived to tell him about it.

[Elton John Detected]
posted by ckape at 12:17 AM on October 10, 2017 [1 favorite]

The mines can be deactivated! Let them take you in then provide distraction until you get rescued!

Not only that, but they're wearing magic hack-anything devices! Just chill for a bit, deactivate the mine, and walk away!

Then have Merlin save Eggsy at the same moment that Elton John saved Harry.

I was impressed by the "camera" work on the final diner fight, but I don't know how I actually feel about it. It managed to give the same sort of frenetic feel that quick-cut fights do, without being impossible to follow, but I think I still prefer wide-framed long takes. Still, I'm glad Hollywood is moving back away from the "20 cuts in 20 seconds" fight style.
posted by reventlov at 12:26 PM on October 15, 2017

I was sort of disappointed that Merlin didn't end up just singing for his life for the rest of the movie.

The first movie was stupid fun (or at least that's how I remember it) but this one didn't suck me in like that. I think mostly because of Roxy, who could have been really fun, and it just set the tone for the rest of it. Would have liked a scene with Eggsy returning the (extreme) favor of being personal secret eyeglasses librarian in a silly situation.

Surely nobody's wearing coats like that to Glastonbury? I have never been but am fairly sure it's a summer festival. Do the Alps have that much snowpack left in summer?

All that about the relative merits of the whisky/whiskey produced in Scotland and Kentucky and I'm pretty sure the word "bourbon" was never spoken once.
posted by asperity at 8:36 AM on July 5, 2018

There should have been more everything with Ginger. What exactly made Champ finally say yes this time? Was there anything different about her asking this time after all the times he'd told her no? WTF? Glad she got the job she wanted but there was no middle there. Would've been a lot more satisfying to have her jump ship to Kingsman since they'd appreciate her more and also they have a lot more vacancies.

I would still probably watch a third but I have no expectations beyond "hey cool gadgets and stylish suits" and probably I should compare/contrast with Inspector Gadget.
posted by asperity at 9:05 AM on July 5, 2018

The first movie was stupid fun (or at least that's how I remember it) but this one didn't suck me in like that. I think mostly because of [the death of] Roxy, who could have been really fun, and it just set the tone for the rest of it.

This trend in sequels reminds me of Lund, the blind record studio owner from O Brother Where Art Thou?, and his great line "oh mercy yes, we got to beat that competition." Oh mercy yes, we got to up them stakes.
posted by infinitewindow at 10:33 AM on July 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

What exactly made Champ finally say yes this time? Was there anything different about her asking this time after all the times he'd told her no? WTF? Glad she got the job she wanted but there was no middle there.

It only took 3 years for this to get answered. The vote had to be unanimous and Ginger had told Eggsy earlier in the movie that every time she was up for appointment that Agent Whiskey had voted against her.
posted by the webmistress at 8:57 PM on August 28, 2021