To Catch a Critic: Kingsman: the Secret Service

Image courtesy of foxmovies.com

The classic James Bond spy movie formula got a facelift early this year with the February
release of director Matthew Vaughn’s box office hit, Kingsman: The Secret Service. The film
centers on young Eggsy Unwin (Taron Egerton), a misfit Londoner with a chip on his shoulder
and an eye for mischief. After the premature death of his father, Eggsy found himself trapped in
the shadow of mother’s abusive new husband and his punk son. Fortunately for Eggsy, he’s been
given special favor by the Kingsman, a secret society of superspies, and has been secretly under
the observation of veteran Kingsman Harry Hart (Colin Firth). After a particularly bad incident
involving his extended family, the ornery teen is given the opportunity to train and compete
against several other young prospective candidates for a prestigious position among the best
spies in the world and aid in the race to save the world from the clutches of tech villain Valentine
(Samuel L. Jackson).

Kingsman was the first surprise breakout hit of 2015, raking in nearly $36 million on its
opening weekend alone. It brought back the essence of old school James Bond movies but didn’t
come off as a cheap copy, taking care to showcase an original storyline and even making bold
quips at its predecessor’s expense, most noticeably making a play on Bond’s iconic “shaken, not
stirred” and paying homage to some of the classic hero’s most memorable gadgets.

 Despite its R-rating, Kingsman had something for everyone. For the old-fashioned spy
movie connoisseur, the film delivered thrilling action-packed fight scenes and highly implausible
but guiltily fun spy gadgets, including a bullet-proof stun-gun umbrella and an implantable chip
with the capability to send its wearer into an uncontrollable murderous rage at the whim of its
creator.

 Although flying fists and sharply dressed gentleman saving the world from certain
destruction are enough to sate most any moviegoer’s appetite, the comedic value of the film was
not to be overlooked. The genre of the film can be described as action/comedy, a combination
that is often attempted but rarely executed without one component suffering. This was not the
case with Kingsman, and both the wit and action were able to not only shine individually, but to
cooperate in an unusual but satisfying symbiosis, leaving audiences gasping at gore one moment
and in stitches the next.

 Premiering in the shadow of pop culture giants American Sniper and Fifty Shades of
Grey, Kingsman: The Secret Service was an unexpected box office hit, shattering expectation
and quickly accumulating approving nods from casual moviegoers and critical Bond fans alike.
Whether viewers prefer their martinis shaken or stirred, they can agree that Kingsman was a true
service to the senses.