Colin Firth plays a secret service agent in an organization called Kingsman. After the demise of a fellow agent, he helps in the selection of a replacement, while investigating the death and inadvertently saving the world. All this is carried out in the most suave and sophisticated manner characteristic of the James Bond (pre-Daniel Craig) British spy archetype.
It is an age of sequels: Transformers 4, The Hobbit 3, the rebooted Spider-man 2… and soon Avengers 2, The Hunger Games 3 (part 2), Fast and the Furious 7 (oh have mercy)...
Thus to see something a bit more original, something that dares to break the mould, even if it is a reinvention of something that is considered old-fashioned, is refreshing.
In other words, I really enjoyed the Kingsman movie.
Colin Firth does a ridiculously good job as the respected agent Galahad. Although a gentleman going about his day in a formal suit looks almost archaic in modern times, Colin Firth proves that the one thing the world needs now could possibly be such good, albeit kickass, gentlemen.
The action sequences are gruesomely violent, but played more for laughs than cringes. The plot is a bit over the top, no surprise for a spy movie, but the story manages to stay relatable through the proper character development of the new agent designate.
The only issue I have with this movie is how it puts the British gentleman on a pedestal above all the other characters, even if they may say otherwise in the film. The only black character is a villain, as is the only disabled character. All politicians other than the British are corroborators with the criminal mastermind, and all females in this story are damsels in distress, even the other agent designate. The only good men are thus British gentlemen.
Kingsman is a thoroughly entertaining movie that you can enjoy for as long as you do not think too much about it.
TL;DR
Classic James Bond, with all its glory and flaws, for the 21st century.
Bechdel Test: Passed - I can't believe it passed. This movie had 3 pretty kick-ass women, but all of them were damsels in distress who needed saving by the hero. This movie only passed this test because the hero told one girl to call his mom to warn her about the end of the world. This case probably highlights the limitation of the Bechdel Test.
No. of films seen this year with:
White man saving the world - 3
Non-white/male protagonist - 2
- Spoilers ahead -
It is an age of sequels: Transformers 4, The Hobbit 3, the rebooted Spider-man 2… and soon Avengers 2, The Hunger Games 3 (part 2), Fast and the Furious 7 (oh have mercy)...
Thus to see something a bit more original, something that dares to break the mould, even if it is a reinvention of something that is considered old-fashioned, is refreshing.
In other words, I really enjoyed the Kingsman movie.
Colin Firth does a ridiculously good job as the respected agent Galahad. Although a gentleman going about his day in a formal suit looks almost archaic in modern times, Colin Firth proves that the one thing the world needs now could possibly be such good, albeit kickass, gentlemen.
The action sequences are gruesomely violent, but played more for laughs than cringes. The plot is a bit over the top, no surprise for a spy movie, but the story manages to stay relatable through the proper character development of the new agent designate.
The only issue I have with this movie is how it puts the British gentleman on a pedestal above all the other characters, even if they may say otherwise in the film. The only black character is a villain, as is the only disabled character. All politicians other than the British are corroborators with the criminal mastermind, and all females in this story are damsels in distress, even the other agent designate. The only good men are thus British gentlemen.
Kingsman is a thoroughly entertaining movie that you can enjoy for as long as you do not think too much about it.
TL;DR
Classic James Bond, with all its glory and flaws, for the 21st century.
Bechdel Test: Passed - I can't believe it passed. This movie had 3 pretty kick-ass women, but all of them were damsels in distress who needed saving by the hero. This movie only passed this test because the hero told one girl to call his mom to warn her about the end of the world. This case probably highlights the limitation of the Bechdel Test.
No. of films seen this year with:
White man saving the world - 3
Non-white/male protagonist - 2
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