Review: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

             

 
      'Kingsman: The Secret Service': An Amped-Up 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' That Delivers The Goods At Every Level

      Kind of like how the main character tries to redeem himself later in the film, I was looking for a little redemption myself as I went with my gut and saw this instead of Fifty Shades of Grey after the time I didn't listen to my gut when I saw Noah instead of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In this scenario, however, I realized the old saying "Go with your gut" couldn't be more true.

       Story:
   Kingsman: The Secret Service follows the story of a young man named 'Eggsy' (Taran Egerton) who becomes recruited to join a secret service agency named Kingsmen, which is where his deceased father used to work. At Kingsmen is where he is mentored by Harry Holt (Colin Firth) while a philanthropist named Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) looks to take over the world.

     Ups:
    I'll start off with the performances. In particular, I'll start off with Taran Egerton. I thought he was brilliant as the rather loose cannon with a heart of gold that maintains his heart of gold as he progresses to become a Bond-esque spy. Here is hoping that Egerton has a long and bright career ahead of him after this as he certainly has a lot of charisma on screen. Next, I'll get into Colin Firth. To describe Firth in this movie, I'll say this: Who knew Colin Firth could play such a badass? He really pulls off his action scenes yet still manages to bring the right amount of emotional gravitas to his character and the scenes between him and Egerton are the heart and soul of the film. Of course, Samuel L. Jackson is also fantastic as the villain and I liked the lisp his character had. To me, that made his character more colorful and I also thought Sofia Boutella, who plays Valentine's henchwoman Gazelle, had a great presence on screen and I loved how she and Jackson played off of each other.

   Next, I'll get into the direction by Matthew Vaughn. Vaughn is the same guy who gave us Kick-Ass and he brought the same distinctive style with that film here. Like how Kick-Ass amped up the superhero genre while toying with its conventions, Vaughn does the same thing here with the spy genre. He directs the action scenes with such flare and helps maintain the film's unpredictability factor as when we think the film will go in one direction, it goes in another. Not only that, but the story manages to delve into the theme of "being a gentleman" and being true to yourself. As Eggsy progresses during the film, trying to better himself and seek a better opportunity for his life, he still tries to maintain his good-hearted nature. He even learns about being a gentleman from Harry, who recruited Eggsy as a favor to his father who saved his life.

    Downs:
    NIL.

    Consensus:
    Overall, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a highly-entertaining and colorful entry in the spy genre with explosive action, brilliant performances, witty humor, and a heart-driven story.

    Would I Recommend It? :
  Absolutely. If you want to have a good time at the movies and are desperate for an alternative to Fifty Shades of Grey, then go and see this.

Grade: A