'Kingsman: The golden circle' premieres in the UK this wednesday, and if you're wondering whether you should give it a watch, fear not, for we've compiled a comprehensive list of the latest critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 7.1 from 24 critics, which is considerably more optimistic than the score given by Metacritic: 5.2 out from 14 critics.
To begin with, 'Kingsman: The golden circle' was set for release on 16th June, but Fox decided to push that date back. Following the success of the first film, 'Kingsman: The secret service', the sequel will take place in the United States after the organisation's London base is attacked. Taron Egerton as Eggsy and Mark Strong as Merlin will both return, this time working with American agency, the Statesmen. With the introduction of the first international spy agency in the series comes a whole new assortment of characters including, Ginger Ale (Halle Berry) and agent Whiskey (Pedro Pascal).
Matthew Vaughn, who directed the first installment promised a lot more action in the upcoming film, with trailers only seeming to confirm this. According to Entertainment Weekly however, "Kingsman: The Golden Circle is not a good movie." Chris Nasahwaty continues "that, it's dispiriting - a too campy, tonally schizophrenic barrage of idiotic plot twists, wasted star cameos, and over-the-top gags that aren't nearly as entertaining as their creators think they are."
As if that wasn't enough, for Variety's Peter Debruge, "the sequel has gone and pushed the franchise's cheeky brand of absurdity even farther. The goofiness begins with the resurrection of two important characters, whose unequivocal deaths we witnessed in the first movie." So continues Chris Bumbray of JoBlo; "The golden circle plays out more like a comedy sequel than a second installment in an action franchise." Bumbray does however, point out that Elton John's cameo for him, is "the funniest thing about the movie".
The Hollywood Reporter suggests Vaughn, "seems to prefer character, dialogue and humor to chases and explosion", and that he makes "very good use of his almost invariably well-chosen actors by identifying their appeal and drawing out their humor."
"Another strength of The Golden Circle lies in the film's villain: the charming and sweet, but psychopathic Poppy Adams (Julianne Moore), highlights Screenrant who also ensure us that, "Moore's villain is incredibly fun to watch."
Without a doubt, Eggsy's romance with the Swedish Princess (Hanna Alström) is one of the sequel's weak points. "Nothing about their romance works, although it's cute to see Vaughn try something new", wrote Variety. For Jim Vejvoda of IGN however, "Rather than rehashing the arc of the first film, the sequel wisely has Eggsy faced with learning new lessons instead as he struggles to balance his duties as a Kingsman with his relationship with his beloved Princess Tilde."
The good and the bad
Variety dropped the most destructive analysis on the film yet: "When you change the fundamental rules of action-movie storytelling as radically as the "Kingsman" series does, then these adventures may as well be taking place on the moon, where a normal human can jump tall buildings." The Playlist mentions how, "Vaughn's film is overflowing with big set pieces, but all those epic action sequences amount to a running time clocking nearly two and a half hours - and not much else."
Indiewire offers a more optimistic approach highlighting how the new characters bring a breath of fresh air to the saga. "The introduction of the Statesmen allows "The Golden Circle" to have serious fun with a slew of new characters, including Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, and Jeff Bridges." Kate Erbland finishes by reassuring us that despite the critics, "This is still a Kingsman film, after all."
