Cast: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Elton John, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges

Direction: Matthew Vaughn

Producer: Matthew Vaughn, David Reid, Adam Bohling

Screenplay: Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn

Genre: Action Comedy

Duration:141 Min8

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is directed by Matthew Vaughn and it is the second installment in the Kingsman franchise. Typically, you would expect the sequel to be a tad bit less entertaining than its predecessor. This movie is exactly that. It’s a slightly lesser version of the original Kingsman. The action sequences are more and the mayhem is cathartic but more of the same doesn’t make it a better movie. It’s still a fun time to see a James Bond-esq protagonist participate in over the top action set pieces and use cool gadgets.

It’s a well-directed movie, I must say that. There are only so many ways you can justify the resurrection of a character and this movie surprisingly pulls it off. Colin Firth who bit the bullet in the previous installment is back! Somehow, due to a gel like technology and nano-bots. Yep, sounds farfetched, doesn’t it? Well it works. Narcos star Pedro Pascal and Jullianne Moore are the antagonists in the film and they do a pretty decent job. Moore is downright psychotic and Pascal’s electric whip is super cool. The lead characters Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Harry (Colin Firth) are pretty ‘proper English spies’. They wear their suits with perfection and pull off all the action with ease. Channing Tatum, Halle Berry and Jeff Bridges also star in this spy/comedy/thriller but the real actors that stand out are Elton John and Mark Strong. Both these actors were a breath of fresh air and they really elevated their roles.

The one problem this movie constantly seemed to have is that the action was jarring. It was cool in the first part but in this one it was too overused. In a desperate attempt to make a scene seem continuous, the camera constantly zooms in and out during a few of the fights. Uhh! That was pretty darn annoying. The actresses in the movie were really kept in the background. They really had nothing to do other than support the leads, which I feel was a step in the wrong direction.

Overall the movie rethreads on the same old plotlines of the first and offers nothing more. Sure, the action is entertaining and sometimes jarring but story and character-wise the movie is formulaic. Taron, Mark and Elton give strong performances but the movie falters when it comes to bringing something new to the mix. On the other hand, Statesman and their whiskey business is a good premise. Bottom-line if you want to see more of the same then it’s a good time, if you were expecting a different take, then you’ll walk out with a thought in your mind- ‘Something was missing’.