Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

[Athena]

The plot follows Eggsy and Merlin joining forces with "Statesman", their American counterpart after Kingsman was destroyed by the film's villain Poppy, played by Julianne Moore.

 

Taraon Egerton has tweeted the new teaser poster: https://twitter.com/TaronEgerton/status/718102984715026434/photo/1

 

 

[Kromm]

Digital Spy: Kingsman: The Golden Circle will be even crazier than the first one

[BetterButter]

[dusang]

3 hours ago, BetterButter said:

I'm so excited for this it's almost inappropriate.

[Ohwell]

I loved the first one, and this looks like even more fun.  I'm in.

[Jediknight]

Looking forward to this, but the lack of Roxy in the trailers is not awesome.  Please don't kill her.

[AimingforYoko]

I'm going to love how they explain Harry, "Valentine shot you in the head at point blank range." "Yes, and that's why I have to wear this eyepatch."

[HunterHunted]

[JustaPerson]

I love how in the American version of the kingsmen everyone is a cowboy. Of course. 

[MaggieG]

On 7/21/2017 at 11:37 PM, JustaPerson said:

I love how in the American version of the kingsmen everyone is a cowboy. Of course. 

I love their names even more. Agents Tequila and Whisky!

[VCRTracking]

I'm shocked that Eggsy is still seeing the princess but I guess it makes for a good comedy of manners:

[Morrigan2575]

The latest TV Spots look really fun

[dusang]

On 8/8/2017 at 0:06 PM, VCRTracking said:

I'm shocked that Eggsy is still seeing the princess but I guess it makes for a good comedy of manners:

I strangely love that they included that -- I mean, I probably wouldn't have thought anything of it if they had left her as a disposable Bond-girl joke in the first film but it really adds something that she and Eggsy are now at the "meeting the parents" stage, you know?

[nicepebbles]

I didn't see the first one until I was on international plane ride a few months back. I loved it! I'm excited for this new one. Like really excited. 

[ApathyMonger]

Not as good as the first one, and far too long, but a lot of fun once it gets going.

SPOILERY THOUGHTS:

Spoiler

 

Roxy dying early on was obvious from the trailer, but I was still disappointed by it. I wish we'd at least gotten to see her on a mission before she died, instead of the pretty lame car chase we got at the start.

Firth's fine in the movie, but I'd rather they hadn't brought him back. I'd like to have seen Eggsy have to deal with being an agent in his own right, rather than falling back to being Harry's sidekick.

Halle Berry got ridiculously little to do. I was convinced she'd turn out to be a mole, if only because that would give her character a point. I know there was more with her and Strong that was cut out, which is a shame.

The whole mixup about the Kingsman and Statesman agencies not knowing each other and Tatum tying Eggsy and Merlin up could easily have been cut out. We know they're going to team up, just get on with it. The Harry amnesia stuff goes on too long too.

There were probably too many scenes with Moore being cartoonishly evil in the first half, but they work to set up all the stuff in the final showdown, so I wasn't too bothered. She's not nearly on the same level as SLJ in the first movie though.

I laughed at all the Elton John stuff.

Strong's death worked well for me. I'll miss him playing a good guy for once.

The most ridiculous aspect of the plot was, of course, that everyone was watching Fox News at all times, even Eggsy's working class mates in London.

 

 

[frenchtoast]

I saw it yesterday and once again had a hell of a fun ride. I liked that we go to see that Eggsy is still a little different, but he's still the diamond in the rough that Harry saw. So while the conceit of Harry being alive didn't seem to set the story backwards as much as give it a chance to allow the characters to blossom. Which leads me to what I really liked about this movie and what made it different to me from the first, there was a lot of heart in it. Eggsy is loyal and true and he loves people. If the first movie was a sort of adversarial relationship--or at least, it had quite a bit of friction between the "posh" and Eggsy--in this he is far more comfortable in his skin and he's given the space to be the good agent and man that he is. And Taron Egerton plays it well. It may not have had the same amount of humor, but I was still smiling throughout.

My one quibble was the lack of Channing Tatum. I want more Tequila. And I wish we could have gotten more Merlin and Ginger working together. 

[AimingforYoko]

1 hour ago, frenchtoast said:

I want more Tequila.

Uh, we're still talking about the movie, right?

Tilde, while slightly insecure, was quite possibly the coolest princess ever.

[nicepebbles]

I read some reviews so I expecting not to like. I think some of the reviews were wrong. The plot isn’t convoluted. It was pretty easy to follow. I do agree with reviews that the magic of the first is hard to match. I think the first movie was concerned with hitting the spy tropes and telling Eggsy’s story whereas this one was more focused on telling the story. I agree where the reviews say the movie is longer than it needs to be and throwing in name actors just cause. The whole Whiskey plot point was unnecessary. 

Spoiler

They could’ve demonstrated Harry issues with returning to the field and Eggsy realizing that in another way. The whole fight at the end with Whiskey, while awesome fight scene, was about 10 minutes the movie didn’t need. A lot of name actors that didn’t do much. I mean from the previews, I expected way more Channing Tatum.

What I didn’t like (in addition to what has been already listed above):

Spoiler

 

- Roxy and Merlin dying. Why? Badass Roxy is underutilized in the first and then killed in the second. It’s like the those in charge want to do in the trope about women only being eye candy and then can’t/won’t run all the way with it. She legitimately became a Kingsman but Eggsy gets all the glory. Merlin going out in to the field made no sense after his conversation with Ginger Ale. So his death was unnecessary.

- I don’t understand why Kingsman and Statesman had to be in the dark about each other. Kingsman are named for the Knights of the Round Table. I think Statesmen should be named for something else like the founding fathers or something. I recognize these complaints can be seen as nitpicky. I see them more as instances where story is “sacrificed” for the jokes. Another nitpicky thing: Fox News being the only channel anyone watches. Usually in movies they show a montage of news stories from all TV sources. It was weird.

- Tilde taking drugs. We don’t know much about it so it’s hard to say really if it was out of character. I can only think she was so distraught about Eggsy that she smoked some weed. Even with that explanation, it doesn’t fit to me.

- No memorial for the fallen Kingsman.

 

Stuff I didn’t really like or dislike:

- Julianne Moore did fine as the villain. Less annoying than Samuel L. Jackson and that lisp. I can’t my finger on what it is exactly that kept me from liking her.

- So Charlie was always that tall but he definitely wasn’t as built in the first one.

What I did like (to end on a high note):

- Action sequences were top notch like the first. What a way to start off a movie. It had me from go.

- Roxy and Eggsy being best buds.

- Tilde is a cool princess.

- Eggsy is a great character. He’s still Eggsy (doesn’t forget where he’s come from; has heart and is not afraid to show it) and has become a great Kingsman.
 

Spoiler

 

- I like that Harry wasn’t a super spy right away.

- The little moments in the film like Merlin and Eggsy drinking, Eggsy telling Roxy she’s the best, flashback to Harry teaching Eggsy table manners, Eggsy giving Harry and a hug and he has to be on tip toes. Because the movie can be so over the top, these moments ground it.

- Eggsy and Tilde still being together. The movie could’ve dropped her. Really unexpected storyline in a movie. And they didn’t let her die. I like when movies surprise me.

 

[frenchtoast]

1 hour ago, AimingforYoko said:

Uh, we're still talking about the movie, right?

Tilde, while slightly insecure, was quite possibly the coolest princess ever.

Yep! I like Channing Tatum and I liked his Agent Tequila. I would have liked to see more of him vs Agent Whiskey. I should have noted that I cannot drink tequila. It's one of those that just turns my stomach instantly.

Speaking of, I know why Eggsy would still call her Roxy, but it would have been nice to call her Lancelot. I do think she was called that, but coming from him would have been nice, too. But he calls Galahad Harry instead of Galahad all the time too, so it's just his thing. Probably because he sees them as people and friends and not just agents so it's their true name for him.

Princess T was indeed very awesome.

[Silver Raven]

Who knew Elton John was so badass?  :)

I noticed a slight slipup.  The two organizations are Kingsman and Statesman, not Kingsmen and Statesmen, but when they showed the stock ticker, it had "Statesmen's average" stock.

[revbfc]

On 9/20/2017 at 5:34 PM, ApathyMonger said:

 

  Hide contents

 

 

The most ridiculous aspect of the plot was, of course, that everyone was watching Fox News at all times, even Eggsy's working class mates in London.

 

 

Really?  I thought the most ridiculous conceit was that a publicly traded company was being being run like a sole proprietorship.

[TobinAlbers]

Loved it, loved Eggsy, loved Colin, loved Merlin. The American side of things definitely could've been better, but Pedro was awesome despite his character's twist. And yeah needed about 20-30 mins cut from this to make it tighter.

The opening car chase was balls out amazing direction, camera movement, CGI, and stunts. And music. Just really, really fun.

Tatum was supposed to be more in the movie but scheduling issues had them putting Tequila on ice literally and shifting the bulk of his story to Whiskey. Apparently they even had transferred Tequila's using the whip to Whiskey as in an early tease, Channing was using it. 

The code names I got being related to their cover business of liquor, but yeah they weren't as badass as the Kingsman code names. I lean towards using an expanded founding fathers/American figures (Washington, Adams, Lincoln, Douglas, Jefferson, Tubman, etc.) or American authors (Hemingway, Twain, Emerson, Thoreau, Melville, Steinbeck, etc).

[frenchtoast]

@TobinAlbers Well now you've ruined it for me because American authors would have been awesome. 

3 hours ago, TobinAlbers said:

Tatum was supposed to be more in the movie but scheduling issues had them putting Tequila on ice literally and shifting the bulk of his story to Whiskey. Apparently they even had transferred Tequila's using the whip to Whiskey as in an early tease, Channing was using it. 

Ahhh. Well that makes sense. There was enough to make me definitely want to see the next one. 

My criteria for an enjoyable movie is that I enjoy being with the people on the screen. None of the characters/actors grated, and it was a wonderful escape for 3 hours. Looking forward to the next fun ride. 

[Spartan Girl]

We got Harry back, but we lose Roxie, Merlin, and the pug dog?!! Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!

This was lots of fun, even when it got silly. Totally agree with those that loved Princess T, although it's too bad she had to be a damsel in distress again at the end. 

Mark Strong for once got to go out being the hero, singing John Denver. Awesome.

Annoyed at the use of Fox News. Even more annoyed that after the first movie's controversy with Obama, the sequel didn't have the balls to use You-Know-Who's likeness. But considering the fictional president had a more active roll to play, maybe that was on purpose.

Best part, hands down: Elton fucking John!!

[Silver Raven]

4 hours ago, revbfc said:

The most ridiculous aspect of the plot was, of course, that everyone was watching Fox News at all times, even Eggsy's working class mates in London.

The movie is a 20th Century Fox production.

[revbfc]

8 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

The movie is a 20th Century Fox production.

For the record, you didn't quote me, you quoted the post I responded to.

[shrewd.buddha]

It was fun ... but, yeah, the spark seems to be gone. Even the music choices didn't seem as inspired as the first movie. 

What disappointed me the most was that  after the surprise success of the first movie, Kingsman sold its soul to Hollywood. Suddenly all these big name actors are in the franchise and everyone else - everyone else - gets killed off for not being popular enough.
Merlin's death was the most egregious -- it was unnecessary, could have been avoided in a variety of ways, and they gave him a favorite song that did't fit him at all. It just felt like a writer's decision. 

The surprising and enjoyable parts of the movie were seeing Eggsy being a loyal friend and boyfriend instead of the cavalier spy who runs through a string of available women during his missions. 

This one did not leave me excited to see more of Kingsman in the direction it seems to be going. I worry that the actor playing Eggsy may not be popular enough to survive it. 

Edited September 25, 2017 by shrewd.buddha

[ApathyMonger]

15 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

The movie is a 20th Century Fox production.

Yeah, but nobody in the UK watched Fox News, even before it was taken off the air recently. Apparently they averaged 2,000 viewers a day.

[TobinAlbers]

5 hours ago, shrewd.buddha said:

This one did not leave me excited to see more of Kingsman in the direction it seems to be going. I worry that the actor playing Eggsy may not be popular enough to survive it. 

For me Eggsy is the heart of this franchise. Killing him off would basically be the end.

Having said that with him getting married, the obvious close out movie to complete the trilogy is for it to bookend the opening of the first movie with him and Princess T expecting a kid (or already have a child) and he now has to ask himself can he be a Kingsman and a father? He knows what it was like to lose his dad, but being a Kingsman is in his blood and the world needs saving so it's a credible dilemma.

We also have them needing to rebuild the Kingsman organization throughout the UK so they definitely are going to need a host of new actors for new characters and recruits. Perhaps some retired agents have to come back to help with the reorg (Helen Mirren, Ian McKellan, Pierce Brosnan) and Eggsy will be a Harry to a new recruit to fit with the theme of his being the 'older' generation/father. The kicker is Eggsy isn't old by any means so he chafes at the thought of losing his youth and relevance.

For some reason I see Eggsy ending up literally becoming a King or King Consort since he's married to a crown Princess. Betting her parents are gonna bite it and she ascends. He then leaves the UK to set up a version of the Kingsman in Sweden. If the new recruit to take over the movie franchise doesn't work out, Eggsy can come out of civilian life if they get a big enough threat.

And just like with Harry being miraculously saved, Roxy could've had one of those earthquake/bomb shelter beds that collapse in the even of a catastrophe and drop in an escape shoot down and away from the damaged area. It's totally a Kingsman type of mechanism I could see them having and Roxy was the best agent and be prepared for any contingency. Sure it'd be repeating themselves, but Roxy definitely deserves to eek out a death defying save.

[Silver Raven]

Now that Harry is back, they're going to have to give Eggsy a different code name. Unless they make Harry Arthur and Eggsy keeps Galahad.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Silver Raven

[Ohwell]

Just saw this today, loved it, can't wait for the next one!

[benteen]

I saw it on Friday.  Really enjoyed it.  Not as good as the first movie but still great fun.

I was very glad to see Colin Firth return as he was great in the role.  I was hoping Roxy would pop up later in the film but that never happened.  Eggsy is a good lead.  I was surprised with how little Channing Tatum was in it but very pleased that Pedro Pascal had such a big role.  Bruce Davison was also fun as the President.

[coppersin]

23 hours ago, shrewd.buddha said:

It was fun ... but, yeah, the spark seems to be gone. Even the music choices didn't seem as inspired as the first movie. 

 

This one did not leave me excited to see more of Kingsman in the direction it seems to be going.

Same here. The movie itself was fine and fun, while simultaneously ending my interest in more sequels. After reading reviews I lowered my expectations going in and braced myself for the deaths, and that helped, but I just didn't get the happy buzz from this that I did from the original. We've lost too much of the good stuff and the new stuff like married Eggsy doesn't appeal to me.

I'll probably be more forgiving once I'm done sulking about Merlin's death, though.

[Ohwell]

I thought this sequel was even better, albeit a bit too long.  I loved the music and Elton John rocked it!  

The only thing about the first one that annoyed me was Samuel L. Jackson as the villain because I truly cannot stand him.  I'm not crazy about Julianne Moore either (thought Glenn Close would have been better) but she wasn't as annoying as the villain.

I hope Merlin isn't really dead dead.  I know they showed the blowup, but maybe he was somehow able to jump off?  After all, this isn't real life anyway, and they brought Harry back to life.

[vavera4ka]

"Honey, if you save the world, you can have a backstage pass"

LOL I see what you did there, movie (that moment when a call up in the sequel is much better than the original scene lol)

[Jediknight]

Not as good as the first one, but I really enjoyed it.

Spoiler

- Roxy isn't dead.  They showed her running out of the room as the missile was coming, the next room over had to be a safe room or something.  Before you say anything, Harry survived being shot point blank in the head.  I did like that Eggsy mentioned her before killing Charlie.

- Wasn't a fan of Whiskey being a villain, I liked him and was hoping he'd be in more Kingsman movies.

- Merlin dying sucked, but he went out great, and he repaid Eggsy's father.

- Elton John was a hoot.

- West Virginia!

[Bruinsfan]

On 9/26/2017 at 5:18 PM, vavera4ka said:

"Honey, if you save the world, you can have a backstage pass"

LOL I see what you did there, movie (that moment when a call up in the sequel is much better than the original scene lol)

Spoiler

I'm taking Elton's presence at the wedding to indicate that Harry took him up on the offer.

[thuganomics85]

Overall, I enjoyed it, but I definitely preferred the first one.  This one lacked the spark and uniqueness that the original had and it was also way, way too long.  I'm sure a good ten to twenty minutes of it could have been cut.  And despite all the big names and hype, the Statesman seemed to barely factored in.  It's ironic that the one whose name wasn't plastered on all of the posters (Pedro Pascal), ended up having the bigger part.  But I'm pretty sure his screen time might have topped Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum, and Halle Berry's combined.  Not that I'm too upset, because he was one of the highlights.  I'm thrilled that Pascal is starting to take off after Game of Thrones.

I did like the idea that Eggsy actually developed a serious relationship with Tilde and wasn't just a gag from the first film, even if went down a typical route where they have a big fight and then she suddenly gets poisoned, so Eggsy has extra motivation to save the day.  Now that they are married, I really hope they avoid the cliche of killing her off in a potential third film.

Definitely bummed that Roxy was barely in this, but I'm not too worried yet about her "death", because I do think them showing her seeing the first explosion and running was a sign she'll survive somehow.  It will be preposterous as hell, but after the way they saved Harry, nothing is off the table, I think.  Still wished she came back in the end or something, but I got a sense it was a case of Sophia Cookson's availability being limited, so the film was trying to have it both ways: take her off the board if she's gone for good, but if she's not, then have a simple way to bring her back.  Either way, I missed her presence.

Surprisingly, after finding him the best thing about the first film, I found Harry kind of dull here.  It might just be that amnesia plots have been run into the ground at this point.  But it also felt like Colin Firth's heart wasn't into it this go around.  Instead, I thought Mark Strong/Merlin was the scene stealer.  While there was several questionable things about his big death scene (you had a freaking mind sweeper, Eggsy!  What the fuck, man?!!), it still was a badass way to go.  Strong singing John Denver is something I never knew I wanted.

Julianne Moore was fun as the villain.  And I noticed that, once again, they had her motives involve another hot topic political issues with the War on Drugs (compared to Valentine's climate change motives) this go around.  I wonder what big name actor they will get for the next one and what hot political issue with be the motive this time?!  My random prediction: George Clooney plays an insane doctor who wants everyone to have universal healthcare, but his plan involves making those infamous "death panels" rumors/lies a real thing.  He will be accompanied by Larry David playing a politician who isn't Bernie Sanders, but clearly is suppose to be Bernie Sanders.  

The fight scenes were pretty great, even if the church scene from the first one is still the King(man).  But who doesn't enjoy a three-way brawl in an old-school diners set to a countryfied version of Cameo's "Word Up"?!!

Elton John was clearly having fun in all of his moments.

I'm glad I saw it, but I don't think it will stick with me like the first one did.  But I do hope they continue to keep the franchise going. 

[Jediknight]

49 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

Definitely bummed that Roxy was barely in this, but I'm not too worried yet about her "death", because I do think them showing her seeing the first explosion and running was a sign she'll survive somehow.  It will be preposterous as hell,

I wouldn't accept it being anything else.

[Cranberry]

I really hope Roxy is alive, because her death almost ruined the movie for me. I mean, we had a female agent who kicked ass and was the lead male character’s best friend, not his romantic interest, and she got killed off in favour of some bigger names (who barely even did anything) and a girlfriend character who, while cool, also had to sit most of the movie out because she’s not a spy. I don’t care how silly and convoluted the explanation has to be; I just want Roxy back.

I still enjoyed the movie. It had great fight scenes and some good lines. I agree that it lacked the fun of the first, though. There were also a lot more slow scenes, or at least it felt that way. I agree that it could have been tightened up.

[Danny Franks]

I'm glad I nipped in here for spoilers, because my one determining factor as to whether I would see this movie is whether they casually killed off Roxy or not. I figured they probably would, because the actress isn't a big name and appeared in none of the promotional material. But I really liked her, and already felt she was shortchanged in the first movie. Apparently she might be alive? Well in that case, let's see what happens in Kingsman 3. And unless Sophie Cookson's star rises dramatically, I'd put money on her not showing up.

Although to be honest, seeing that they were bringing Colin Firth back was a huge red flag for me anyway. Because it shows a stark lack of faith in the remaining characters and the writing, to bring back a character who was so conclusively killed off, just because he was popular.

[Bruinsfan]

Side note: Taron Edgerton should be thanking Elton John for making sure that Eggsy's humongous-billed cap was only the second most ridiculous bit of headgear in the movie. Samuel L. Jackson wasn't up to the challenge in the first movie, but Captain Fantastic came through!

[ramble]

I enjoyed it... well enough I suppose. I agree with those who thought it wasn’t up to the first. I walked out of the theater thinking it was at least 15 minutes too long and that rarely bothers me. Harry didn’t work for me in this one. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I simply didn’t like him. The opening car scene was great, but the ending fight scene, at the retro stupidity in the jungle, lost my interest as it played on and on. If there’s a third I’ll probably rent it or wait for it to come on TV. 

[Cranberry]

On 9/29/2017 at 11:58 AM, Danny Franks said:

I'm glad I nipped in here for spoilers, because my one determining factor as to whether I would see this movie is whether they casually killed off Roxy or not.

I don't know if I'd call it casual, as Eggsy made it clear she was his best friend (which we were also shown onscreen with her in his ear helping him with conversation topics as he had dinner with his girlfriend's royal parents for the first time), and he was very affected by her death, moreso than he was at losing any of the other Kingsmen. However, that's almost as bad, as it's essentially fridging.

I don't know if she's alive, but I agree that it's possible. She had a second of reaction time between noticing the missile on the radar and it hitting the mansion. We saw her leap off to the side, but we didn't actually see her die or see any bodies. I've seen several reviews mention that killing her off was a mistake, so maybe they'll rethink that if they do a third.

[dkb]

It was good, but I didn't love it as much as the first one. Definitely agree that it was a little too long. 

 

Channing Tatum was fine, but not really interested in him becoming a Kingsmen, I'd rather see Roxy being alive and leading the team with Harry.

 

Elton John kicking the dude in the face was hilarious. 

[Ohwell]

So I watched the original Kingsman movie this weekend, and while it's still quite enjoyable, I think this one is even better due to the addition of  American Kingsmen.  And Elton John.  

[afterbite]

It's been so long since this movie came out that there's really no one around to talk about it with, so let me share this with you, long dead forum: I hated this movie. My hatred grew as the runtime dragged on until I was doggedly hatewatching it to the end. I despise pretty much everything about it (except Mark Strong, because I could never). It was a nonsensical, try-hard mess that pretty much ruins any and all excitement I might have had for a 3rd movie.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

[Which Tyler]

9 hours ago, afterbite said:

It's been so long since this movie came out that there's really no one around to talk about it with, so let me share this with you, long dead forum: I hated this movie. My hatred grew as the runtime dragged on until I was doggedly hatewatching it to the end. I despise pretty much everything about it (except Mark Strong, because I could never). It was a nonsensical, try-hard mess that pretty much ruins any and all excitement I might have had for a 3rd movie.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Something vexes thee?

[methodwriter85]

I really thought they should have cut off at least 20 to 30 minutes of this movie. It was okay, but the producers/directors need to take a long hard look at why this movie, despite all the amped up star power, made significantly less than the first one.

[afterbite]

13 hours ago, Which Tyler said:

Something vexes thee?

Verily.