Mark Hamill is in the film because he was actually portrayed as a kidnapped character at the beginning of the comic. Here, in the film, he plays someone else, not himself from the book. BTW. The film is better on all levels. Now, Golden Circle, on the other hand...
Golden Circle was a big dissapointment for sure. Also, I thought it was TOO disgusting to be funny. The whole meat processor and hamburger thing... Just too gross.
@@fommass1008 I enjoyed it too, though I can already imagine some of the fair critiques Calvin would have with Golden Circle. Ofg the tip of my head, the whole plot element about the tainted drugs giving users a Scarlet Letter identifying rash seeds to be a weird fence sitting stance where you've never sure if you're supposed to agree with Bruce Greenwood's douchebag POTUS on his stance or be sympathetic to drug users like Emily Mortimer because the variety of drugs tainted means occasional pot users are lumped into the same box as heavy drug users like the tweakers who killed Pedro Pascal's wife or GF.
5:25 You're gonna be real pissed if you ever read the comic book this movie was based on: in the comic, Pierce Brosnan is one of the kidnapped celebrities who later fights along side the heroes.
@@calvindyson Fun fact: part of the reason Mark Hamill was cast for that little cameo was because in the original comic he was one of the kidnapped celebrities at the start of the story (I think basically in the same spot he is in the film)
Something interesting I noticed in the movie was that when Michael Caine’s character was dying, his voice reverted to a cockney accent, suggesting that his background may have been similar to Eggsy’s, which might hint at the class theme.
This movie kicked ass, though it seems a little hypocritical for Matthew Vaughn to go "spy movies are too serious these days" when Layer Cake was the reason Daniel Craig became Bond in the first place.
Matthew Vaughns films have such a strange sense of humor and fascination with ultra violence. Unlike Tarantino who's humor is charming and violence fun and silly, this film and Kickass are full of weird non-jokes that make you tilt your head like a confused house pet, and bloody fight scenes that you want to cheer for but can't work out if you really should be or not. I'm not sure I really like any of his films but I tend to watch them all out of morbid curiosity
I think X-Men First Class is one of the best superhero films ever made but I suppose he'll have had a lot more studio intervention and it represents less of him as an individual. I couldn't agree more with your comments. On the surface, he makes fun, flippant, violent works but scratch the surface a little bit and ask why and the reasoning and motivations become consfusing...
10:46 there’s actually a logical reason why this was done.Valentine is known for two things: 1.His planning ahead 2.His hatred of blood Valentine was always prepared(Reminder:The reason for the Biomectric Scanner was in case something went wrong and the kings men infiltrated the base) and he may have assumed that “what if all of the implants went off?” So he would want the implants to be colorful(Yeah im American, I say color) so he wouldn’t vomit over all of the blood.
5:32: May have already been pointed out, but Mark Hamill got a cameo because he (the actor, not the character) appeared in the intro of the comic this film is based on, in a similar fashion to the character he plays here did.
My interpretation of the dog scene: In the Bond movies, Bond's motivation for most of the movies are simply, "Hey Bond! Go do this! We assure you this guy is probably evil." Bond doesn't question it. This is his mission. He assumes M is giving him the right information. So while they're not actually going to make them kill the dog, they need to know if they'll treat the missions they're sent on as legit. Roxy probably realized the truth about it because of the parachute test. Treat the test as a legit mission, but in the end, it's still just a test.
Really interesting Calvin. I thought I’d absolutely love this film but it left me feeling really uneasy. It’s difficult to pin down, but the whole thing felt a bit...nasty. Weirdly, it feels like it would have been a far better movie if it had been a 12A. Some of the more tawdry stuff in the film just doesn’t work...Swedish princess included. The Moore Bond films were in many ways equally daft and silly - but you could tell they all had a heart of gold deep down. This made me feel grubby afterwards. The sequel is even worse...
I quite agree, looks like we’re on the same page. This review was the first time I’d viewed the film as something more than just pulpy fun and as soon as you start looking behind the curtain, as it were, the film does just have a bit of a nasty side. Maybe it is that the violence, language and overt sex stuff just feels so gratuitous and unnecessary? I think it’s jarring to have the film written by an anarchist and directed by someone firmly in and in favour of the establishment. Uneasy tone.
I had very much the same reaction to the film. On the whole, it's a snappy, well made, entertaining movie, but the violent scene in the church and the sexual hostage situation at the end made me VERY uneasy. We're to believe that Eggsy has been transformed into a "gentleman" but the film closes with him trading sexual favors for a woman's freedom? The vilification and dispatch of one "side" of American society struck me as a little TOO gleeful. I'm worried enough about Americans killing each other as election day approaches.
I agree. Though I'd argue that the swearing and violence gives the film a bit more personality in given the majority of action films are PG-13 [similar to Deadpool] it does go too far in places. As you say, part 2 ups these problems even further
I feel similarly, mainly because of the church scene. I was told it was a really badass scene, but being from the South and having the then-recent Charleston church shooting in the news, I found it pretty gross, even if all the characters killed were supposed horrible bigots.
The 3rd film I think probably could have been edited to a 12A given even Matthew Vaughn realized that World War I had to be treated somewhat sensitively but that leads to the swearing that is present and the adult stuff [with Mata Hari] feeling really tasteless.
This is a really intelligent analysis of the film, and far deeper than the ones I have seen from other critics. I found the movie exciting and stylish, but there's also a kind of mean-spiritedness to the film which you articulate well.
Calvin, you should definitely include ‘Our Man in Havana’ in one of your polls. Based on the book by Graham Greene, it’s one of the few spy-comedies that isn’t a parody or a send-up of the spy-film genre, but rather just a well-written comedy set in the world of espionage. For my money, the funniest spy-comedy there is.
Michael Caine was always close but no cigar with Bond he's close personal friends with both Sean Connery and Rodger Moore he was once under personal contract to Harry Saltzman who produced his first Harry Palmer film The inquest files he has worked with director Lewis Gilbert on Alfie and educating Rita Lewis Gilbert also directed You Only Live Twice the spy who loved me and Moonraker
Great review. Its a well liked film isn't it? Having only recently seen it I personally had mixed feelings and you articulated most of them. Very entertaining in parts. sort of original and with some great turns by some great actors I also found it tonally deaf in places. a bit patronising and I'm afraid the baffling bum note ending was just foreshadowing the dreadful sequel.
I only saw the movie once, so forgive me if am incorrect... but I thought Eggsy joined the Kingsman because he was filling unfulfilled; and joining such a cause brought meaning to his life.
I watched this for the first time recently and Loved it. I got a really good laugh out of how blunt the Princess was when She Made the proposal to Eggsy. I didnt think the action scene in the church was cartoony. Yeah its not graphic but as a wrestling fan I'm fond of Choreography which was very much at play there. Plus could you imagine bond dispatching so many people in 5 minutes i've always wanted to see him showing his psychopathic side that seems present in the books
It does, as you say, set everyone up as contemptible class members and non-individuals. It does this so you won't care when they slaughter one another and die horribly. I've seen this done in other movies with individuals or "zombies" or "bad guys" but never really the public... It's weird. I'm glad you noticed, I haven't heard people comment on that aspect before - I hope it's not a trend!
This movie is so much fun! The sequel though... Eh it's alright. Easily my favorite moment is when Galahad roasts the shit of the lady at the hatechurch.
I agree. Like you I'm a huge Bond fan and my brother strongly recommended it to me as he loved it. For me, it felt a bit all over the place in terms of themes and I also felt like it was a bit too crass and had too many cheap crude and not so subtle gags.
I thought the motivation, both in terms of becoming a Kingsman and what Eggsy was before, was family, belonging and filling the various voids left by his father's death. He'd tried one path to being the man of the house and replace the guys his mother had been left with, and now another opened up as that first path came to an end.
Funnily enough the graphic novel it's based on has Harry be Eggsy's Uncle, who's a spy, and takes him off to train as a spy, pretty much like Stormbreaker! Ditto, Stormbreaker having the kid do training in the countryside with more qualified trainees. There's also obvious similarities to Men In Black, with the lower class, un-trained outsider, competing against educated professionals, at a secret organisation, and besting them. And even XXX, with a hot headed but ethical young person being arrested for joyriding and being force recruited into a spy organisation.
10:45 I suspect it probably was a ratings thing, if the climax had shown 50+ people having their heads graphically explode in a fountain of blood and gore then it would've definitely struggled getting a 15 certificate from the BBFC.
I believe that Eggsy’s motivation was escaping the life that was already set up for him. It seems that everyone around him has to live in a dump surrounded by drugs, booze and abusive people. Eggsy wanted any chance he could have to get himself and his family a fresh start away from his stepdad and poverty.
As I have mentioned before, whilst I'm still something of a 'SPECTRE' fan, this was by far and away, the best spy flick from 2015. Just a shame that I can't say the same thing about 'The Golden Circle'.
I loved the hell out of this movie. I saw bits and pieces first and went "I need to see that. The rest of the movie has to live up to those." And it did.
I think this movie really is about breeding and nobility and what old nobles dream of at night. Englands old houses hold the Kingdom and the world together, while the lowly "merchant class" (read: the very rich and newly rich, without noble backgrounds), destroy the world. It's a bit like the middle ages never stopped and it is an old trope that was still used until WW1. This is an a worldview that makes the outlook on this world even darker, when you think about it. At least some of those rich people have (theoretically) worked for their money, while nobles are born in their class and will always stay there. Because they are (so the movie) better than the newly rich or the lower classes, who are all dirty and ugly and need to be protected, but should never have any real control, because otherwise the whole country goes to hell. Eggsy becoming a kingsman is also a motive from arthurian folklore, where King Arthur basically looked at an old farmer and found out, that one of the farmers son was from noble birth (because his real father rapped the farmers wife) and than the son got included into the ranks of the knights, because it would be a waste of good blood and think how hard the boy had it (being a brutal bully to his whole foster family). Kingsman feels like that, minus the rape context. Eggsy gets enhanced to a better status, the systems works and eff off lower classes and lowly merchants, because englands nobility will always save the world and keep it in check. This movie is an archconservatives wetdream, that would even cut out most other archconservatives (and the princess getting done, could also be a jab at, that only english nobles do it right and every other house around the world lacks real class). So yeah, not a fan, but good review nonetheless! Sorry for the rant, but every thing based on Mark Millars work somehow awakens my inner ragemode.
Thanks for this excellent and thought provoking comment! Really good stuff. Great points especially about breeding and nobility vs the newly rich. I think that's spot on actually. The movie is such a weird hodgepodge of establishment and anarchy that doesn't quite gel, it's hard to really pin down any one particular motive or message. Good to talk about though!
@@calvindyson It just wants the good ol' tims back, where everybody stayed in their place or at least had the stomach to do the violence themselves, yessire! But yeah, you're right, at least we have something to discuss about. Bonds ideology got more and diffuse over the course of the year, but now his villains run for office... and now I want a fight between the stuffy Kingsmen and the MI6 fighting over the one thing they really are concerned about... the budget. Watch them fighting in a deathpit under the eyes of englands finest, richest and best bred. Good ol' fun, ya know :D?
Eggsy is fighting for a better life for himself and his mom and sister. His mom is sympathetic to me because the film implies she was so distraught at the loss of her first husband that she just fell in with tre jerk stepdad and is scared to stand up to him because he’s abusive. That’s just me though.
Pet Shop Boys are easily my favorite musicians and I was quite pleased to hear them on this video. Nobody else uses their songs for anything and they have so many to choose!
14:00 the hypocrisy of the test is exactly why Eggsy becomes a Kingsman by the end of the film. It represents the corruption of the system caused by Arthur
There are some people out there who want the Bond movies to have a lighter tone like these movies. Maybe after Creg is finished we can get Bond movies that have a more fun tone to them.
Appreciate you talking about the strange quasi-nastiness/mixed messaging of the film’s themes. Can’t deny, it felt weird and off putting for me (though maybe I was just mad that they killed Obama so idk)
I noticed that Kingsman sort of borrowed Drax’s idea from Moonraker with destroying the Earth’s population and replacing it with his own elite people. I really enjoyed this film and was a bit disappointed that the sequel and the prequel didnt rise to the greatness achieved here.
Finally, one of your reviews I can agree with! Lol And I think yes, you are overthinking it. The movie's main goal is entertainment, which it accomplishes very well. Thanx for posting, Calvin! :-))))
Mark Hamill was probably intentionally cast as in the opening of the comic, the rescue from the chalet is them reaction Mark Hamill and not the scientist. This way they could combine the character to have him in the film more while still paying homage to that scene in the comic.
The theme that I took away is that your class doesn’t have to define you. Yes Eggsy is from a bad neighborhood and part of the lower class, but the film shows that with proper training he could still be an agent. Your class status does not have to define what you are able to accomplish if given the opportunity. As well. He uses his street smarts against an upper-class enemy who never noticed the trick until it was too late.
Really curious what you thought of the 3rd film in the Franchise that pretty much played it straight, and in my opinion is a fantastic film, that audiences seemed not to warm to because it wasn’t like the first Kingsman.
He did a letterboxd review when it came out. Hopefully he'll do a video review of it eventually. The 3rd film certainly suffered from being dumped out next to 'Spiderman: No Way Home'
Im not too big of a fan of the Moore era bond movies but the kingsman duology is amazing but thats probably because im young and im probably in the target demographic
I think the whole class thing was supposed to be more about how being a gentlemen doesn’t mean money as seen with Eggsy. But I still 100% agree that it’s not all that clear and kinda tropey… I also don’t see the movie being sort of cartoony being a bad thing. I love when movies are willing to go sort of nuts with all sorts of things and test the limits of realism. But that’s more a me thing, I love cartoons.
Have to admit, haven’t gotten around to watching this one. But it does make me wonder why nobody’s tried reviving ‘The Avengers’ recently. I mean, it had a similar campy feel to this movie, and what with this film’s success, and British film/TV in general seemingly doing gangbusters in America right now, you’d think now would be high-time to reawaken the dormant franchise. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing more of Steed and Gale/Peel/King/Keel. That being said, while I’ve never plucked up the courage to watch the ‘98 movie myself, I haven’t heard good things about it, so maybe it’s dormancy is for the best. I suppose it all depends on who’s in charge and how talented they are. Either way, Mrs Peel, we’re needed!
Think they''re still burnt after the 1998 film, and good luck releasing anything as Avengers at the moment. But I agree with you. It would be interesting to bring it back (if they could). I loved the series, and even the 98 film. It was horribly re-edited, but is nowhere near as bad as people said. To be honest, after Doctor Who made a successful comeback, I'm amazed ITV's response hasn't been to bring it back (they did briefly with The Prisoner).
David James I’m pretty sure StudioCanal own the rights now (they’re the ones with their name on the DVDs, and Big Finish had to get their permission to make & release their Season 1 recreations). But according to The Avengers Forever fansite (a great website for any ‘Avengers’ fan BTW) Jerry Weintraub, producer of the ‘98 film, still owns the rights and has been a boulder in the path of any future ‘Avengers’. Indeed, that may be why Big Finish’s ‘Avengers’ output has been limited to adapting Season 1 and some old comic books, when you know they’d love to make some original stories, because that’s what Big Finish does - just look at what they’ve done with ‘Doctor Who’ (‘The Avengers’ sibling show - they share the same creator, Sidney Newman). Well, whether the Jerry Weintraub thing is true or not, he’s dead now. And yes, you may face the wrath of Disney’s lawyers by making a new Avengers and having the audacity to call it ‘The Avengers’, you could easily work around it by calling it ‘The Avengers: Two Against the Underworld’ or ‘The Avengers: Steed & Mrs Peel’ or ‘The Avengers: We’re Needed’ or whatever. And heck, just because the ‘98 film was a flop needn’t prevent any future developments. For instance, David Lynch’s adaptation of ‘Dune’ was a flop, and yet Denis Villeneuve‘s adaptation is due to be released next year.
SPOILERS for The King's Man It's funny how now Ralph Fiennes has played the original Arthur of the organisation, since that's the Kingsman equivalent to M.
Just didn't connect with the juvenile lead, and Sam Jackson played his character as far too goofy to bring the right level of credible villainy to a spy flick's bad guy role---I can only imagine most of the aud at test screenings thinking, "what's he DOING?" Colin Firth's not credible as an action star. And why oh why did they ever try to make Mark Strong happen? He's an extra.
2015 was the ultimate secret agent film year. Aside from Spectre, a Bond film, we got Spy, an espionage spoof, Man from U.N.C.L.E., an homage to 1960s spy thrillers (like early Bond films), Rogue Nation, the new installment of the Mission Impossible Franchise and last but not least this, Kingsman, an adaptation of a comic book that was more of a James Bond film than Spectre was.
Saying Spectre is less of a Bond film than Kingsman is harsh given it had plenty of homages to past Bond films, brining in elements like a villain base and a burly heavy while Craig was doing a take on the cinematic Bond in his performance. It's even the only Craig Bond to end with an upbeat ending [with him and Madeline driving off into the sunset]. Kingsman is much more of an ensemble piece than Bond has been as Firth's character when he's in the film gets a lot of focus, the 'spy school' section isn't something we've seen in Bond and the swearing+violence makes this more it's own thing.
I still don't know how society didn't collapse after all the world leaders and anyone with influence die in that film. Something like that would absolutely have caused not only a depression but a level of lawless unseen
I only watched this movie once and remember loving it. The constant product placement was slightly annoying (you just know mcdonald's paid a shitload of money for this, there hadn't been such a blatant attempt to shove burgers into my face since the fifth element ) and yeah, the messages were confusing but I actually liked the weird style of the fight scenes. Reminded me of old Edgar Wright movies, keeping tempo up while still minding the budget. The actors were all great, the dialogue was funny, the weakest parts really were the abundace of cliches they represented unironically, like the snooty guy hating poor people and being a spineless moron or the weak mother being beaten up by her boyfriend and letting her children be abused, too. But, all in all, a really good movie and a lot of fun. Haven't watched the sequel yet...
The film actually did a deal with Mr Porter where you can buy all the men's clothing and apparel in the tailor's, direct from their website. Apparently it's the first film to do this so directly.
@@665nachbarderbestie Also, I remembered that Edgar Wright has actually said in an interview, that Bond is the one franchise he would like to be considered for. I've never heard his name on a list of potentials (certainly wasn't for No Time To Die), but I'd like to think EON would talk to him. He previously was approached to do Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol, but he had to say no, as he was finishing off Scott Pilgrim. Would be nice if they'd ask him again.
@@davidjames579 I wonder if Simon Pegg put in a word for him on Mission Impossible given his working relationship with both Wright and JJ Abrams [who produced Rouge Nation]. I did wonder if his bad experience with Marvel on Ant Man might have put him off tentpole movies but I'd love to see his take on Bond [shame he didn't do an MI film even given Brad Bird did a good job].
I enjoy Kingsman but the Obama exploding head encapsulates a very muddled political message that just confuses me. And Mark Millar just reuses the same nihilistic plot twist from his earlier film Wanted.
It's odd isn't it? Especially as the film doesn't make too many references to real world people. Seems odd that Obama and Iggy Azelia would be the two main targets!!
The sequel (The Golden Circle) actually makes some critical points about the Trump Administration, which, while Golden Circle is inferior to the first Kingsman (even though I still enjoy it) it ironically feels like it fits better, seeing as how Trump in a lot of ways is the closest we will get to having a real life Classic James Bond villain. As an American who is currently living in post-2016 Election, I was okay with this. (Seriously, God help us all if Cheeto Hitler gets another term in 2020.)
Actually I think the film was being reasonably neutral on class; the bad lot Eggsy's mum had fallen in with were just the step dad's criminal gang, while the 1%ers were the upper class who had been agreeable to the evil master plan If anything, it's the shallow political classes (right or left) and tycoons with dodgy causes (Bill Gates and his "depopulating vaccines" anyone?) who don't come off too well...
I don't think this film is really trying to say antthing all that deep or important about class. If anything it's more a compentary on hollywood chasing trends to what's popular (the bourne films) even though there's still a market for these more over the top films.
You're *really* over-thinking it. Admittedly, I'm an American, but I didn't get much a Class Struggle vibe from the film. Yeah it had a "fuck the selfish rich" message, but that's not exactly earth-shattering. As for what Eggsy's fighting for, I thought it was obvious. He's a good bloke, who protects the weak, and ultimately wants to do the right thing. One doesn't need to have nationalistic zeal to want to better one's lot in life, find a meaningful career, and want to save the world.
I wonder if you’ve ever heard of the 80s movie, If Looks Could Kill. A fun satire on how outrageous spy films had become. A teenager is mistaken for a famous spy that no one has ever seen and gets embroiled in a plot to poison the heads of European countries so this guy can unify Europe under his control. There’s crazy gadgets, loaded cars, comedy, women with outrageous names like Arreola Canasta and henchmen with distinctive attributes. It’s enjoyable if not taken too serious.
Very entertaining film that is a good re-watch. I, too, had a huge issue with the "shoot the dog" scene. It just makes no sense. In fact, most of the training "challenges" don't make a terrible amount of sense. It's very easy to forgive in light of the numerous excellent action scenes. The mountain chalet scene being one of my favorites.
Manners...maketh... man. Do you know what that means? Then let me teach you a lesson. Are we going to stand here all day or are we going to fight? And also, Brad Pitt ate my sandwich.
Ya I think I agree. When I saw this for the first time I Absolutely loved it. A+. I went around telling everyone about it. The next few times I saw it I started to see some of the flaws. Overall, I would say that it is a VERY GOOD movie, but not amazing.
Absolutely love Kingsman!! I did not really notice a lot of the possible social commentary you did but I think the goal was to take the spy/007 genre to an extreme ultra hyper level that the official films would never go near. But it was clear they also wanted to add some old classic James Bond elements that the current series lacks and put a very modern twist on them. I would actually love the official series to get back to some gadgets and laughs-not too much of course,but a little bit would be great. I think as much as we all love the Daniel Craig era,alot of us fans miss that part of the films!
Matthew Vaughan actually came close to directing Casino Royale, as his first film Layer Cake put Daniel Craig as Bond on Eon's radar. They for unspecified reasons, didn't go with him, although Vaughan has said in an interview that he thinks Barbara Broccoli doesn't like him for some reason. Kingsman was developed as a response to the more serious and gritty Craig Bond films, and shows possibly ideas he had for them. I remember Mark Millar saying that the intent was to do for spy films what his Kick Ass had done for comic book stories.
David James Wow I knew he was a Bond fan but I didn’t know he was considered for Casino Royale! Now that he’s got his own spy series I would think he’s probably out of the running for the future but that’s a shame. I think he would be an excellent 007 director!
@@johnrigs6540 Yeah, like I say, apparently BB didn't take to him. I think it may be down to his more cruder sense of humour and liking of presenting stronger violence, which gels with Millar's. Interestingly he tried to mold Michael Fassbender in X-Men: First Class as a new Bond, in the character, and he let F keep his Irish accent, to lend a Connery like sound.
Good review. A couple comments, based on trying to remember my viewing of the film from several years ago, so sorry if I missed some details you might have caught or misremember something: 1) On class: I think the impression I got from the film is it was a critique of "new" wealth and a celebration of "old" wealth, with kind of the connecting principle being "one with wealth/good title/deserving of the king must act with nobility/chivalry/manners". So people who have secured wealth or power through being partying entrepreneurs (think "trust fund kids") are kind of reprehensible according to this movie, as they don't know what it maybe "means to have class" like the old stock. But the film also makes it clear that anyone, regardless of background, can be "deserving" of this through the Eggsy character, and then vice-versa with the Caine character maybe having voluntary "relinquished" the Kingsmen's good name. I won't get into a judgment call about whether this is a good view of wealth and class but it seems to be the world Kingsmen works in. 2) On a side note, I think this movie is interestingly a little socially conservative, at least compared to other films in general, both with the kind of favoring of "old stock/manners" expressed above as well as parodying climate change activists through Valentine (and I should also point out, the villain being black and heroes being white also probably in line with this political orientation). I identify as an American liberal but I still enjoyed this movie as I was kind of able to laugh at myself through Valentine and it's also one of those movies where you can root for the villain or like the villain more than the heroes. 3) Probably my single greatest disappointment with the film is the Roxy character. I agree that the schooling scene feels like a waste, but why? In my opinion it does a great job of setting up character development between Eggsy and Roxy- and I thought for sure this would lead to some kind of relationship or maybe Anya/Moore style double sexy spy thing. Maybe I'm not with the times in being angry about a platonic relationship, but I still could have seen that direction too if she maybe developed into the new "M" or something, but she's all but disposed of in Golden Circle. As they went with it, the relationship between them feels quite "kids book" like and takes away from the more Bond-like adult sarcastic tone of the rest of the movie.
Poor Roxy. She's introduced as a potentially interesting female counterpart to Eggsy, who's graduated at the same time as him, and then has to spend the final act of K1 strung up in a parachute/glider thing not doing much, while Eggsy does all the fighting and cool stuff. Then in K2 they kill her off suddenly, at the beginning. Great potential to have male and female equal spy's going out on missions, and maybe she could have had her own franchise? Rather than have them sleep together, you could have maintained a great Bond/Moneypenny dynamic, as they both bed other people, but have that sizzle going on between them.
@@calvindyson hey, nothing like the third one starring OJ during the middle of 1994. Also, I loved the Ken Loach reference, nothing like him saying "when the class warfare inevitably starts, we all know whose side the filmmakers will be on," while on stage at the BAFTAS with Nicole Kidman by his side, talking to a room of 1%ers.
i think kingsman ended up like this because they never thought of a possiblity for a sequel or franchise. so the creators let loose and had fun with controversial visuals or ideas. which results in the slightly confusing aftertaste that we are left with. i felt set up to expect a reinvention of the spy movie, because collin firth's character possessed such moral clarity towards his motivations for being a spy but the movie ends up without much discussion on a spy's role in this era. eggsy somehow lost all his character development upon that butt scene, it felt he remembered nothing from his training and let loose on his impulses, which is another confusing bit about the movie's proposition of a new kind of gentleman spy. it did not even feel sexy compared to the business as usual sex scenes in bond
Mark Hamill plays the kidnapped scientist because in the original comic, Mark Hamill himself was the one taken hostage (his captors gave him shit for the Star Wars prequels).
I actually wish he'd just played himself! I know they talk about it in the behind the scenes documentary but would have been so much more fun if he'd just been himself.
This film made me think Firth would actually have been a great modern Moore style Bond
Mark Hamill is in the film because he was actually portrayed as a kidnapped character at the beginning of the comic. Here, in the film, he plays someone else, not himself from the book. BTW. The film is better on all levels. Now, Golden Circle, on the other hand...
Golden Circle was a big dissapointment for sure. Also, I thought it was TOO disgusting to be funny. The whole meat processor and hamburger thing... Just too gross.
I don’t understand y people don’t like golden circle I really liked it
@@fommass1008 my condolences to your intellect my good man.
@@fommass1008 I enjoyed it too, though I can already imagine some of the fair critiques Calvin would have with Golden Circle. Ofg the tip of my head, the whole plot element about the tainted drugs giving users a Scarlet Letter identifying rash seeds to be a weird fence sitting stance where you've never sure if you're supposed to agree with Bruce Greenwood's douchebag POTUS on his stance or be sympathetic to drug users like Emily Mortimer because the variety of drugs tainted means occasional pot users are lumped into the same box as heavy drug users like the tweakers who killed Pedro Pascal's wife or GF.
@@sasavulic1236 shut up
"Eggsy does get a girl in the end"
Pun intended, eh?
Totally unintentional I SWEAR!! ;)
...Giggity!
"Innuendo !", "No, in your endo...!" =)
Triple 9,,,, 👍👍😂😂
5:25 You're gonna be real pissed if you ever read the comic book this movie was based on: in the comic, Pierce Brosnan is one of the kidnapped celebrities who later fights along side the heroes.
NO WAY! Really? I don’t think I’ve ever heard this before!
@@calvindyson Here's What's The Difference's take on the comic and movie adaptation: czcams.com/video/E2fCssWp4fk/video.html
@@calvindyson Fun fact: part of the reason Mark Hamill was cast for that little cameo was because in the original comic he was one of the kidnapped celebrities at the start of the story (I think basically in the same spot he is in the film)
Something interesting I noticed in the movie was that when Michael Caine’s character was dying, his voice reverted to a cockney accent, suggesting that his background may have been similar to Eggsy’s, which might hint at the class theme.
This movie kicked ass, though it seems a little hypocritical for Matthew Vaughn to go "spy movies are too serious these days" when Layer Cake was the reason Daniel Craig became Bond in the first place.
Quite!! Some of the behind the scenes stuff regarding him and Mark Millar I take some issue with...
@@calvindyson Well, Mark Millar is a scumbag but he pays his artist well and gives them co-ownership of their comics.
Ah I’ve been expecting your video Mr Dyson.
I hope it doesn't disappoint :)
Is your surname a coincidence?
Matthew Vaughns films have such a strange sense of humor and fascination with ultra violence. Unlike Tarantino who's humor is charming and violence fun and silly, this film and Kickass are full of weird non-jokes that make you tilt your head like a confused house pet, and bloody fight scenes that you want to cheer for but can't work out if you really should be or not. I'm not sure I really like any of his films but I tend to watch them all out of morbid curiosity
I think X-Men First Class is one of the best superhero films ever made but I suppose he'll have had a lot more studio intervention and it represents less of him as an individual. I couldn't agree more with your comments. On the surface, he makes fun, flippant, violent works but scratch the surface a little bit and ask why and the reasoning and motivations become consfusing...
10:46 there’s actually a logical reason why this was done.Valentine is known for two things:
1.His planning ahead
2.His hatred of blood
Valentine was always prepared(Reminder:The reason for the Biomectric Scanner was in case something went wrong and the kings men infiltrated the base) and he may have assumed that “what if all of the implants went off?” So he would want the implants to be colorful(Yeah im American, I say color) so he wouldn’t vomit over all of the blood.
This is not clear in the movie
Rinky Dink Not everything in movies needs to be explained.Some dots can be connected with just inferring.
5:32: May have already been pointed out, but Mark Hamill got a cameo because he (the actor, not the character) appeared in the intro of the comic this film is based on, in a similar fashion to the character he plays here did.
My interpretation of the dog scene: In the Bond movies, Bond's motivation for most of the movies are simply, "Hey Bond! Go do this! We assure you this guy is probably evil." Bond doesn't question it. This is his mission. He assumes M is giving him the right information. So while they're not actually going to make them kill the dog, they need to know if they'll treat the missions they're sent on as legit. Roxy probably realized the truth about it because of the parachute test. Treat the test as a legit mission, but in the end, it's still just a test.
Really interesting Calvin. I thought I’d absolutely love this film but it left me feeling really uneasy. It’s difficult to pin down, but the whole thing felt a bit...nasty. Weirdly, it feels like it would have been a far better movie if it had been a 12A. Some of the more tawdry stuff in the film just doesn’t work...Swedish princess included. The Moore Bond films were in many ways equally daft and silly - but you could tell they all had a heart of gold deep down. This made me feel grubby afterwards. The sequel is even worse...
I quite agree, looks like we’re on the same page. This review was the first time I’d viewed the film as something more than just pulpy fun and as soon as you start looking behind the curtain, as it were, the film does just have a bit of a nasty side. Maybe it is that the violence, language and overt sex stuff just feels so gratuitous and unnecessary? I think it’s jarring to have the film written by an anarchist and directed by someone firmly in and in favour of the establishment. Uneasy tone.
I had very much the same reaction to the film. On the whole, it's a snappy, well made, entertaining movie, but the violent scene in the church and the sexual hostage situation at the end made me VERY uneasy. We're to believe that Eggsy has been transformed into a "gentleman" but the film closes with him trading sexual favors for a woman's freedom? The vilification and dispatch of one "side" of American society struck me as a little TOO gleeful. I'm worried enough about Americans killing each other as election day approaches.
I agree. Though I'd argue that the swearing and violence gives the film a bit more personality in given the majority of action films are PG-13 [similar to Deadpool] it does go too far in places. As you say, part 2 ups these problems even further
I feel similarly, mainly because of the church scene. I was told it was a really badass scene, but being from the South and having the then-recent Charleston church shooting in the news, I found it pretty gross, even if all the characters killed were supposed horrible bigots.
The 3rd film I think probably could have been edited to a 12A given even Matthew Vaughn realized that World War I had to be treated somewhat sensitively but that leads to the swearing that is present and the adult stuff [with Mata Hari] feeling really tasteless.
This is a really intelligent analysis of the film, and far deeper than the ones I have seen from other critics. I found the movie exciting and stylish, but there's also a kind of mean-spiritedness to the film which you articulate well.
I’ve been waiting for this video, Calvin.
So, as it turns out, Roger Moore DID play a similar role as an older senior spy sort on an episode of the television show Alias.
It was meant to be a reoccurring role but Moore said the money they offered was very small so it remained a one off appearance.
Calvin, you should definitely include ‘Our Man in Havana’ in one of your polls. Based on the book by Graham Greene, it’s one of the few spy-comedies that isn’t a parody or a send-up of the spy-film genre, but rather just a well-written comedy set in the world of espionage. For my money, the funniest spy-comedy there is.
Honestly I rewatch the Kingsman movies more often then any of the Daniel Craig Bond films. They are just more entertaining.
Caine was right for the role because the only person cooler then Bond is Harry Palmer. "Not a lot of people know that".
Michael Caine was always close but no cigar with Bond he's close personal friends with both Sean Connery and Rodger Moore he was once under personal contract to Harry Saltzman who produced his first Harry Palmer film The inquest files he has worked with director Lewis Gilbert on Alfie and educating Rita Lewis Gilbert also directed You Only Live Twice the spy who loved me and Moonraker
Great review. Its a well liked film isn't it? Having only recently seen it I personally had mixed feelings and you articulated most of them. Very entertaining in parts. sort of original and with some great turns by some great actors I also found it tonally deaf in places. a bit patronising and I'm afraid the baffling bum note ending was just foreshadowing the dreadful sequel.
Thanks, Hilary! I actually thought I was going to be taken to task for my negative points but seems like these mixed feelings aren't uncommon!
I only saw the movie once, so forgive me if am incorrect... but I thought Eggsy joined the Kingsman because he was filling unfulfilled; and joining such a cause brought meaning to his life.
I watched this for the first time recently and Loved it.
I got a really good laugh out of how blunt the Princess was when She Made the proposal to Eggsy.
I didnt think the action scene in the church was cartoony. Yeah its not graphic but as a wrestling fan I'm fond of Choreography which was very much at play there. Plus could you imagine bond dispatching so many people in 5 minutes i've always wanted to see him showing his psychopathic side that seems present in the books
I assumed at first that the dog thing was so that the agents wouldn’t get attached to things, and would be forced to let things go.
It does, as you say, set everyone up as contemptible class members and non-individuals. It does this so you won't care when they slaughter one another and die horribly. I've seen this done in other movies with individuals or "zombies" or "bad guys" but never really the public... It's weird. I'm glad you noticed, I haven't heard people comment on that aspect before - I hope it's not a trend!
Middle class: Those who fell for the SIM scam.
This movie is so much fun! The sequel though... Eh it's alright.
Easily my favorite moment is when Galahad roasts the shit of the lady at the hatechurch.
I’ve been waiting for this for ages!!
Hope you enjoy!!
Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond I did! Thank you Calvin!!
I agree. Like you I'm a huge Bond fan and my brother strongly recommended it to me as he loved it. For me, it felt a bit all over the place in terms of themes and I also felt like it was a bit too crass and had too many cheap crude and not so subtle gags.
I thought the motivation, both in terms of becoming a Kingsman and what Eggsy was before, was family, belonging and filling the various voids left by his father's death. He'd tried one path to being the man of the house and replace the guys his mother had been left with, and now another opened up as that first path came to an end.
When I saw the trailer for this I was like "Sooo it's like Stormbreaker?"
Your thoughts on Man from UNCLE?
Funnily enough the graphic novel it's based on has Harry be Eggsy's Uncle, who's a spy, and takes him off to train as a spy, pretty much like Stormbreaker! Ditto, Stormbreaker having the kid do training in the countryside with more qualified trainees. There's also obvious similarities to Men In Black, with the lower class, un-trained outsider, competing against educated professionals, at a secret organisation, and besting them. And even XXX, with a hot headed but ethical young person being arrested for joyriding and being force recruited into a spy organisation.
10:45 I suspect it probably was a ratings thing, if the climax had shown 50+ people having their heads graphically explode in a fountain of blood and gore then it would've definitely struggled getting a 15 certificate from the BBFC.
4:57 Especially in The Golden Circle
Will you be reuploading your review on Live and Let Die (film version) in the near future
Hakim Fullerton on the 27th! But earlier for Patreon’s. Possibly this weekend. I’m almost done with the edit.
I believe that Eggsy’s motivation was escaping the life that was already set up for him. It seems that everyone around him has to live in a dump surrounded by drugs, booze and abusive people. Eggsy wanted any chance he could have to get himself and his family a fresh start away from his stepdad and poverty.
Opportunities by Pet Shop Boys - great and unexpected choice of song!
As I have mentioned before, whilst I'm still something of a 'SPECTRE' fan, this was by far and away, the best spy flick from 2015. Just a shame that I can't say the same thing about 'The Golden Circle'.
I loved the hell out of this movie. I saw bits and pieces first and went "I need to see that. The rest of the movie has to live up to those." And it did.
I think this movie really is about breeding and nobility and what old nobles dream of at night. Englands old houses hold the Kingdom and the world together, while the lowly "merchant class" (read: the very rich and newly rich, without noble backgrounds), destroy the world. It's a bit like the middle ages never stopped and it is an old trope that was still used until WW1. This is an a worldview that makes the outlook on this world even darker, when you think about it. At least some of those rich people have (theoretically) worked for their money, while nobles are born in their class and will always stay there. Because they are (so the movie) better than the newly rich or the lower classes, who are all dirty and ugly and need to be protected, but should never have any real control, because otherwise the whole country goes to hell.
Eggsy becoming a kingsman is also a motive from arthurian folklore, where King Arthur basically looked at an old farmer and found out, that one of the farmers son was from noble birth (because his real father rapped the farmers wife) and than the son got included into the ranks of the knights, because it would be a waste of good blood and think how hard the boy had it (being a brutal bully to his whole foster family). Kingsman feels like that, minus the rape context. Eggsy gets enhanced to a better status, the systems works and eff off lower classes and lowly merchants, because englands nobility will always save the world and keep it in check. This movie is an archconservatives wetdream, that would even cut out most other archconservatives (and the princess getting done, could also be a jab at, that only english nobles do it right and every other house around the world lacks real class).
So yeah, not a fan, but good review nonetheless! Sorry for the rant, but every thing based on Mark Millars work somehow awakens my inner ragemode.
Thanks for this excellent and thought provoking comment! Really good stuff. Great points especially about breeding and nobility vs the newly rich. I think that's spot on actually. The movie is such a weird hodgepodge of establishment and anarchy that doesn't quite gel, it's hard to really pin down any one particular motive or message. Good to talk about though!
@@calvindyson It just wants the good ol' tims back, where everybody stayed in their place or at least had the stomach to do the violence themselves, yessire! But yeah, you're right, at least we have something to discuss about. Bonds ideology got more and diffuse over the course of the year, but now his villains run for office... and now I want a fight between the stuffy Kingsmen and the MI6 fighting over the one thing they really are concerned about... the budget. Watch them fighting in a deathpit under the eyes of englands finest, richest and best bred. Good ol' fun, ya know :D?
Idk why but the villains of this movie remind me of dr Drakken and Shego
Thank you for the shoutout my friend! Honored to be a supporter! Another great review!
I enjoy this film a lot.
Eggsy is fighting for a better life for himself and his mom and sister. His mom is sympathetic to me because the film implies she was so distraught at the loss of her first husband that she just fell in with tre jerk stepdad and is scared to stand up to him because he’s abusive. That’s just me though.
I do like this film and its quite entertaining and effective, but there are some parts so crude and nasty that went too far.
You need more subscribers.
Was that the Pet Shop Boys during the class system analysis? Excellent!
IT WAS! I was hoping that someone would notice :D
Pet Shop Boys are easily my favorite musicians and I was quite pleased to hear them on this video. Nobody else uses their songs for anything and they have so many to choose!
Ayyy, a bonus Frost Report reference!
14:00 the hypocrisy of the test is exactly why Eggsy becomes a Kingsman by the end of the film. It represents the corruption of the system caused by Arthur
There are some people out there who want the Bond movies to have a lighter tone like these movies. Maybe after Creg is finished we can get Bond movies that have a more fun tone to them.
I really enjoyed this film in theaters. Too bad about the sequel though....
I loved the JB scene.
“James Bond?”
“No”
“Jason Bourne?”
“Jack Bauer”
Mostly a really enjoyable film, but that mass murder scene in the church was really hard to justify and left me feeling conflicted.
This movie worked but it didn't lend to more movies. The 2nd was a hot mess and I suspect they won't do anymore.
There doing a direct sequel to Eggy's story
Love this movie:)
Fun fact, the cell code of the princess is spelled a n a l 🤣
I love this franchise & will be getting my Kingsman tattoos before the Prequel comes out
Appreciate you talking about the strange quasi-nastiness/mixed messaging of the film’s themes. Can’t deny, it felt weird and off putting for me (though maybe I was just mad that they killed Obama so idk)
I was hoping for your review of Colonel Sun.
Oh that'll come soon enough :D My next two videos will be reviews of Live and Let Die and then Mission Impossible 2 and then Colonel Sun.
Great video Calvin! :)
Thanks, Jack :D
I noticed that Kingsman sort of borrowed Drax’s idea from Moonraker with destroying the Earth’s population and replacing it with his own elite people. I really enjoyed this film and was a bit disappointed that the sequel and the prequel didnt rise to the greatness achieved here.
I’ve been looking forward to this! Please review Kingsman: The Golden Circle too!
Will certainly get to it someday I hope!
Calvin Dyson Reviews Bond were you a fan of Poppy Adams?
When are we getting a review for the second one. I love this .
Methinks thou art taking this too seriously. A clear and fun parody and nothing more.
Finally, one of your reviews I can agree with! Lol And I think yes, you are overthinking it. The movie's main goal is entertainment, which it accomplishes very well. Thanx for posting, Calvin! :-))))
Kingsman is like Harry Potter for James Bond nerds
Mark Hamill was probably intentionally cast as in the opening of the comic, the rescue from the chalet is them reaction Mark Hamill and not the scientist. This way they could combine the character to have him in the film more while still paying homage to that scene in the comic.
The theme that I took away is that your class doesn’t have to define you. Yes Eggsy is from a bad neighborhood and part of the lower class, but the film shows that with proper training he could still be an agent. Your class status does not have to define what you are able to accomplish if given the opportunity. As well. He uses his street smarts against an upper-class enemy who never noticed the trick until it was too late.
Really curious what you thought of the 3rd film in the Franchise that pretty much played it straight, and in my opinion is a fantastic film, that audiences seemed not to warm to because it wasn’t like the first Kingsman.
He did a letterboxd review when it came out. Hopefully he'll do a video review of it eventually. The 3rd film certainly suffered from being dumped out next to 'Spiderman: No Way Home'
Good evening Calvin, alway a pleasure.
16:48 -
My Rating: *7.5/10.*
And remember, Ladies and gents...
*Oxfords, Not Brogues.* 😎
Im not too big of a fan of the Moore era bond movies but the kingsman duology is amazing but thats probably because im young and im probably in the target demographic
I think the whole class thing was supposed to be more about how being a gentlemen doesn’t mean money as seen with Eggsy. But I still 100% agree that it’s not all that clear and kinda tropey…
I also don’t see the movie being sort of cartoony being a bad thing. I love when movies are willing to go sort of nuts with all sorts of things and test the limits of realism. But that’s more a me thing, I love cartoons.
Have to admit, haven’t gotten around to watching this one. But it does make me wonder why nobody’s tried reviving ‘The Avengers’ recently. I mean, it had a similar campy feel to this movie, and what with this film’s success, and British film/TV in general seemingly doing gangbusters in America right now, you’d think now would be high-time to reawaken the dormant franchise. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing more of Steed and Gale/Peel/King/Keel.
That being said, while I’ve never plucked up the courage to watch the ‘98 movie myself, I haven’t heard good things about it, so maybe it’s dormancy is for the best. I suppose it all depends on who’s in charge and how talented they are.
Either way, Mrs Peel, we’re needed!
Think they''re still burnt after the 1998 film, and good luck releasing anything as Avengers at the moment. But I agree with you. It would be interesting to bring it back (if they could). I loved the series, and even the 98 film. It was horribly re-edited, but is nowhere near as bad as people said. To be honest, after Doctor Who made a successful comeback, I'm amazed ITV's response hasn't been to bring it back (they did briefly with The Prisoner).
David James I’m pretty sure StudioCanal own the rights now (they’re the ones with their name on the DVDs, and Big Finish had to get their permission to make & release their Season 1 recreations). But according to The Avengers Forever fansite (a great website for any ‘Avengers’ fan BTW) Jerry Weintraub, producer of the ‘98 film, still owns the rights and has been a boulder in the path of any future ‘Avengers’. Indeed, that may be why Big Finish’s ‘Avengers’ output has been limited to adapting Season 1 and some old comic books, when you know they’d love to make some original stories, because that’s what Big Finish does - just look at what they’ve done with ‘Doctor Who’ (‘The Avengers’ sibling show - they share the same creator, Sidney Newman). Well, whether the Jerry Weintraub thing is true or not, he’s dead now. And yes, you may face the wrath of Disney’s lawyers by making a new Avengers and having the audacity to call it ‘The Avengers’, you could easily work around it by calling it ‘The Avengers: Two Against the Underworld’ or ‘The Avengers: Steed & Mrs Peel’ or ‘The Avengers: We’re Needed’ or whatever.
And heck, just because the ‘98 film was a flop needn’t prevent any future developments. For instance, David Lynch’s adaptation of ‘Dune’ was a flop, and yet Denis Villeneuve‘s adaptation is due to be released next year.
SPOILERS for The King's Man
It's funny how now Ralph Fiennes has played the original Arthur of the organisation, since that's the Kingsman equivalent to M.
Just didn't connect with the juvenile lead, and Sam Jackson played his character as far too goofy to bring the right level of credible villainy to a spy flick's bad guy role---I can only imagine most of the aud at test screenings thinking, "what's he DOING?" Colin Firth's not credible as an action star. And why oh why did they ever try to make Mark Strong happen? He's an extra.
2015 was the ultimate secret agent film year. Aside from Spectre, a Bond film, we got Spy, an espionage spoof, Man from U.N.C.L.E., an homage to 1960s spy thrillers (like early Bond films), Rogue Nation, the new installment of the Mission Impossible Franchise and last but not least this, Kingsman, an adaptation of a comic book that was more of a James Bond film than Spectre was.
Saying Spectre is less of a Bond film than Kingsman is harsh given it had plenty of homages to past Bond films, brining in elements like a villain base and a burly heavy while Craig was doing a take on the cinematic Bond in his performance. It's even the only Craig Bond to end with an upbeat ending [with him and Madeline driving off into the sunset]. Kingsman is much more of an ensemble piece than Bond has been as Firth's character when he's in the film gets a lot of focus, the 'spy school' section isn't something we've seen in Bond and the swearing+violence makes this more it's own thing.
What'd you think of the second one?
I'll get to that some day if Patron's vote for it :D
I still don't know how society didn't collapse after all the world leaders and anyone with influence die in that film. Something like that would absolutely have caused not only a depression but a level of lawless unseen
I only watched this movie once and remember loving it. The constant product placement was slightly annoying (you just know mcdonald's paid a shitload of money for this, there hadn't been such a blatant attempt to shove burgers into my face since the fifth element ) and yeah, the messages were confusing but I actually liked the weird style of the fight scenes. Reminded me of old Edgar Wright movies, keeping tempo up while still minding the budget. The actors were all great, the dialogue was funny, the weakest parts really were the abundace of cliches they represented unironically, like the snooty guy hating poor people and being a spineless moron or the weak mother being beaten up by her boyfriend and letting her children be abused, too. But, all in all, a really good movie and a lot of fun. Haven't watched the sequel yet...
The film actually did a deal with Mr Porter where you can buy all the men's clothing and apparel in the tailor's, direct from their website. Apparently it's the first film to do this so directly.
@@davidjames579 wow, I didn't know that. That explains a lot, actually.
@@665nachbarderbestie Also, I remembered that Edgar Wright has actually said in an interview, that Bond is the one franchise he would like to be considered for. I've never heard his name on a list of potentials (certainly wasn't for No Time To Die), but I'd like to think EON would talk to him. He previously was approached to do Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol, but he had to say no, as he was finishing off Scott Pilgrim. Would be nice if they'd ask him again.
@@davidjames579 just imagine edgar wright doing for james bond what he did for cop movies in 'hot fuzz'...
@@davidjames579 I wonder if Simon Pegg put in a word for him on Mission Impossible given his working relationship with both Wright and JJ Abrams [who produced Rouge Nation]. I did wonder if his bad experience with Marvel on Ant Man might have put him off tentpole movies but I'd love to see his take on Bond [shame he didn't do an MI film even given Brad Bird did a good job].
I always thought that the cartoon-like exploding heads were to prevent Samuel L Jackson’s character from vomiting due to the gore.
I enjoy Kingsman but the Obama exploding head encapsulates a very muddled political message that just confuses me. And Mark Millar just reuses the same nihilistic plot twist from his earlier film Wanted.
It's odd isn't it? Especially as the film doesn't make too many references to real world people. Seems odd that Obama and Iggy Azelia would be the two main targets!!
The sequel (The Golden Circle) actually makes some critical points about the Trump Administration, which, while Golden Circle is inferior to the first Kingsman (even though I still enjoy it) it ironically feels like it fits better, seeing as how Trump in a lot of ways is the closest we will get to having a real life Classic James Bond villain. As an American who is currently living in post-2016 Election, I was okay with this.
(Seriously, God help us all if Cheeto Hitler gets another term in 2020.)
I feel like Golden Circle is an inferior (but not necessarily bad or even mediocre) film with better ideas and fight scenes.
Actually I think the film was being reasonably neutral on class; the bad lot Eggsy's mum had fallen in with were just the step dad's criminal gang, while the 1%ers were the upper class who had been agreeable to the evil master plan
If anything, it's the shallow political classes (right or left) and tycoons with dodgy causes (Bill Gates and his "depopulating vaccines" anyone?) who don't come off too well...
I don't think this film is really trying to say antthing all that deep or important about class. If anything it's more a compentary on hollywood chasing trends to what's popular (the bourne films) even though there's still a market for these more over the top films.
Speaking of Young Bond, will you be reviewing the Charlie Higson penned Young Bond novels?
You're *really* over-thinking it. Admittedly, I'm an American, but I didn't get much a Class Struggle vibe from the film. Yeah it had a "fuck the selfish rich" message, but that's not exactly earth-shattering. As for what Eggsy's fighting for, I thought it was obvious. He's a good bloke, who protects the weak, and ultimately wants to do the right thing. One doesn't need to have nationalistic zeal to want to better one's lot in life, find a meaningful career, and want to save the world.
I wonder if you’ve ever heard of the 80s movie, If Looks Could Kill. A fun satire on how outrageous spy films had become. A teenager is mistaken for a famous spy that no one has ever seen and gets embroiled in a plot to poison the heads of European countries so this guy can unify Europe under his control. There’s crazy gadgets, loaded cars, comedy, women with outrageous names like Arreola Canasta and henchmen with distinctive attributes. It’s enjoyable if not taken too serious.
Very entertaining film that is a good re-watch. I, too, had a huge issue with the "shoot the dog" scene. It just makes no sense. In fact, most of the training "challenges" don't make a terrible amount of sense. It's very easy to forgive in light of the numerous excellent action scenes. The mountain chalet scene being one of my favorites.
Agree with this entirely! The movie is outstanding fun but stumbles a bit under even a little scruitany. I never understood the "shoot the dog" trial.
The playlist Spy Movie Reviews doesn't include Ghost Protocol
Are we going to get Johnny English 3 review?
all previous times have been like with friends, with some.... booze. .... You mean Vodka Martini...shaken, not stirred
Manners...maketh... man. Do you know what that means? Then let me teach you a lesson. Are we going to stand here all day or are we going to fight? And also, Brad Pitt ate my sandwich.
He ate yours too?! Damn sandwich thief...
Was it a tuna sandwich? Because he ate my tuna sandwich...
Ya I think I agree. When I saw this for the first time I Absolutely loved it. A+. I went around telling everyone about it. The next few times I saw it I started to see some of the flaws. Overall, I would say that it is a VERY GOOD movie, but not amazing.
Absolutely love Kingsman!!
I did not really notice a lot of the possible social commentary you did but I think the goal was to take the spy/007 genre to an extreme ultra hyper level that the official films would never go near.
But it was clear they also wanted to add some old classic James Bond elements that the current series lacks and put a very modern twist on them.
I would actually love the official series to get back to some gadgets and laughs-not too much of course,but a little bit would be great.
I think as much as we all love the Daniel Craig era,alot of us fans miss that part of the films!
Matthew Vaughan actually came close to directing Casino Royale, as his first film Layer Cake put Daniel Craig as Bond on Eon's radar. They for unspecified reasons, didn't go with him, although Vaughan has said in an interview that he thinks Barbara Broccoli doesn't like him for some reason. Kingsman was developed as a response to the more serious and gritty Craig Bond films, and shows possibly ideas he had for them. I remember Mark Millar saying that the intent was to do for spy films what his Kick Ass had done for comic book stories.
David James
Wow I knew he was a Bond fan but I didn’t know he was considered for Casino Royale!
Now that he’s got his own spy series I would think he’s probably out of the running for the future but that’s a shame.
I think he would be an excellent 007 director!
@@johnrigs6540 Yeah, like I say, apparently BB didn't take to him. I think it may be down to his more cruder sense of humour and liking of presenting stronger violence, which gels with Millar's.
Interestingly he tried to mold Michael Fassbender in X-Men: First Class as a new Bond, in the character, and he let F keep his Irish accent, to lend a Connery like sound.
Sorry I'm still waiting for kingsman the blue blood and it's the third kingsman movie in 2023
Good review. A couple comments, based on trying to remember my viewing of the film from several years ago, so sorry if I missed some details you might have caught or misremember something:
1) On class: I think the impression I got from the film is it was a critique of "new" wealth and a celebration of "old" wealth, with kind of the connecting principle being "one with wealth/good title/deserving of the king must act with nobility/chivalry/manners". So people who have secured wealth or power through being partying entrepreneurs (think "trust fund kids") are kind of reprehensible according to this movie, as they don't know what it maybe "means to have class" like the old stock. But the film also makes it clear that anyone, regardless of background, can be "deserving" of this through the Eggsy character, and then vice-versa with the Caine character maybe having voluntary "relinquished" the Kingsmen's good name. I won't get into a judgment call about whether this is a good view of wealth and class but it seems to be the world Kingsmen works in.
2) On a side note, I think this movie is interestingly a little socially conservative, at least compared to other films in general, both with the kind of favoring of "old stock/manners" expressed above as well as parodying climate change activists through Valentine (and I should also point out, the villain being black and heroes being white also probably in line with this political orientation). I identify as an American liberal but I still enjoyed this movie as I was kind of able to laugh at myself through Valentine and it's also one of those movies where you can root for the villain or like the villain more than the heroes.
3) Probably my single greatest disappointment with the film is the Roxy character. I agree that the schooling scene feels like a waste, but why? In my opinion it does a great job of setting up character development between Eggsy and Roxy- and I thought for sure this would lead to some kind of relationship or maybe Anya/Moore style double sexy spy thing. Maybe I'm not with the times in being angry about a platonic relationship, but I still could have seen that direction too if she maybe developed into the new "M" or something, but she's all but disposed of in Golden Circle. As they went with it, the relationship between them feels quite "kids book" like and takes away from the more Bond-like adult sarcastic tone of the rest of the movie.
Poor Roxy. She's introduced as a potentially interesting female counterpart to Eggsy, who's graduated at the same time as him, and then has to spend the final act of K1 strung up in a parachute/glider thing not doing much, while Eggsy does all the fighting and cool stuff. Then in K2 they kill her off suddenly, at the beginning. Great potential to have male and female equal spy's going out on missions, and maybe she could have had her own franchise? Rather than have them sleep together, you could have maintained a great Bond/Moneypenny dynamic, as they both bed other people, but have that sizzle going on between them.
She doesn’t defend her son because she s in a domestic relationship if she dies he will probably batter her that’s the harsh truth
I know it's not really a spy movie, but you should review The Naked Gun, or at least watch it.
Oh I love those films! Or at least, I remember loving the first two.
@@calvindyson or you could review the movie Spy Hard with Leslie Nielsen which is a spy movie.
@@calvindyson hey, nothing like the third one starring OJ during the middle of 1994.
Also, I loved the Ken Loach reference, nothing like him saying "when the class warfare inevitably starts, we all know whose side the filmmakers will be on," while on stage at the BAFTAS with Nicole Kidman by his side, talking to a room of 1%ers.
Those are so bloody hilarious
i think kingsman ended up like this because they never thought of a possiblity for a sequel or franchise. so the creators let loose and had fun with controversial visuals or ideas. which results in the slightly confusing aftertaste that we are left with. i felt set up to expect a reinvention of the spy movie, because collin firth's character possessed such moral clarity towards his motivations for being a spy but the movie ends up without much discussion on a spy's role in this era. eggsy somehow lost all his character development upon that butt scene, it felt he remembered nothing from his training and let loose on his impulses, which is another confusing bit about the movie's proposition of a new kind of gentleman spy. it did not even feel sexy compared to the business as usual sex scenes in bond
Mark Hamill plays the kidnapped scientist because in the original comic, Mark Hamill himself was the one taken hostage (his captors gave him shit for the Star Wars prequels).
I actually wish he'd just played himself! I know they talk about it in the behind the scenes documentary but would have been so much more fun if he'd just been himself.
Maybe the film is trying to say, it doesn't matter what class you are from...it's your character that defines you 🤷
great pun there , Egsy gets a girl in the end...
Funny as my biggest letdown was Samuel L. Jackson as the villain. His performance just didn't fit to movie imho.
I love this and the sequel. Can’t wait for the prequel film.