You know something? James Bond isn’t fun anymore. Instead of directors keeping the formula that made us all fall in love with Bond in the first place, they just went with trying to force a new Bond on us. It kinda feels like they’re trying to make 007 into a weird James Bond/Bourne Identity hybrid. And it ain’t working. With their trying to make the 007 franchise more, um… Bournified, totally took all the fun out of James Bond. It seems like they took that whole ‘stiff upper lip’ thing way too far.
Enter Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service. It’s got ingenious gadgets, uber-suave heroes with the ability to identify a rare brand of Scotch from smell alone, megalomaniacal villains and deadly henchwomen with blades where their legs used to be. It’s filthy, funny and hyper-violent — which is exactly what’s been missing from the genre for a long time now.
Kingsman: The Secret Service gives some great nods to both the Bond franchise and the spy movie genre overall. It’s funny, without launching into Austin Powers-esque stupidity. You can easily tell that the film has a lot of Bond and other inspirations, from Trading Places and My Fair Lady to Men In Black.
While newcomer Taron Egerton, who brings charm to Eggsy’s rough edges, is unquestionably the latest off the Vaughn conveyor belt of new talent that has previously delivered the likes of Chloe Grace Moretz in Kick-Ass, and Sienna Miller in Layer Cake, Colin Firth is clearly having the time of his life with the deadpan but warm super-spy Harry Hart.
If Kingsman: The Secret Service is Vaughn’s tribute to spy movies, what an awesome tribute it is. You should definitely check it out. You’ll have a blast.
