The King's Man

If you know me at all, you probably know that spycraft, espionage, and the action that stems from it are all some of my favorite things. Hell, I even wrote two books with tons of it (shameless plug HERE). 

Right now is a bit of a golden era in Hollywood for this stuff. You have a premier James Bond series that just had an epic conclusion, you've got Tom Cruise pushing his limits in some utterly fantastic impossible missions, John Wick, a spy of sorts, is at the top of the action game right now, and hell, I'd even argue that everyone's favorite "family" has enough spy "stuff" to toss it in the conversation.

And then you have The Kingmsan which is perhaps the coolest, most suave, and naughtiest of the bunch. And probably one of my favorite series in Hollywood right now. The first is an all time classic and the much-battered sequel is - in my humble opinion - also very great (though I agree there's a distinction in quality there). 

All that into consideration, I've been looking forward to The King's Man for quite some time and it honestly felt like it would just never release between Disney acquiring Fox and COVID...it's been a long road for this prequel (as you can hint to the incorrect release date on the poster). To a certain extent, it was a blessing because I think the constant shuffling deflated its tires enough that it almost feels like the NFL equivalent of a "free play" where if it bombs, it's probably COVID's fault (releasing against a certain webslinger doesn't help, I'm sure) and if it does well, then...hooray! I'm especially happy that a Kingsman 3 is already in some form of production, but nonetheless, I want to support this franchise, so I headed out to this one eagerly.

The King's Man, a prequel, is set around/during the time of World War I, making it unique in that manner. Gone are many of the gadgets or outlandish villains (Gazzelle, anyone?) that we saw in the first two. The story is an origin tale of the Kingsman spy branch, and in that regard, it works well. There's a surprising lack of fan service and really strong connections to either previous film, which is actually ok because it would almost feel disingenuous here - and there are enough subtle nods to tide fans over. The "self contained" story however, is a bit of a mess even as it sets up a sequel really well (stick around for the mid-credits BTW). It all makes sense, but when I say "mess" I mean that there's just some decisions/reasons for things that happen that kind of have you thinking, "Oh...ok?". I don't want to venture into spoiler territory, but suffice it to say this was my least favorite plot the Kingsman have been up against so far. 

See folks? Picking up a book can lead to cool things!

Also gone is some of the zaniness that we've become accustomed to in the first two iterations. A lot of that makes sense (i.e. certain technology isn't around), but The King's Man also comes across as a neutered version of the Kingsman we've come to love. There's still enough craziness to enjoy - Rasputin is weird as hell, there's a pretty bombastic decapitation, etc. - but it all pales in comparison which takes some of the life out of the party. 

Luckily, Matthew Vaughn's signature action stylings are still present. Even if nothing ever reaches the highs of some of the first two films' sequences, the action in The King's Man is one of the biggest elements that I felt was the least "in 3rd place" as there's truly some delightful moments. A showdown with Rasputin is a definite highlight with a fighting style I'm pretty sure has never been seen before and a No Man's Land nighttime brawl is both intense and interesting. The finale is unfortunately rather rudimentary as far as Kingsman films are concerned, but that's about the only negative thing I could say against the action. 

There's also a great cast of characters here to continue forward with under the circumstances that we get a sequel. Ralph Fiennes is absolutely perfect casting as Orlando Oxford and the "originator" of the Kingsman. His companions, Polly (Gemma Arteron) and Shola (Djimon Hounsou) are right up there with him and should be featured prominently in any follow ups. Past that, some characters fail to land outside of Rhys Ifans' Rasputin. Oxford's son, Conrad (Harris Dickinson) is uninteresting as is the ultimate villain (probably the biggest reveal/letdown of the film TBH). 

OMG IT'S HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED!

There's part of me that has quite a bit of concern for the Kingsman "brand" as this third film is a strong trend of diminishing returns: classic --> great --> good. Even still, it's solid fun that feels fresh in a lot of ways, even if it feels a bit like the soul that was so special in previous installments is missing. But if we do indeed get a Kingsman 3, and a King's Man 2, you can rest assured I'll be butt-in-seat for those too. 

CONS

• Plot beats/reasonings are a bit of a mess throughout
• Finale is a letdown, specifically the villain "reveal"
• The uber-high-energy spirit and zaniness of the previous films is missing
• Some characters aren't all that interesting

PROS

• Vaughn's direction, particularly when it comes to action sequences, is still fantastic. The Rasputin fight and No Man's Land brawl are highlights
• A lot of fun to see how the Kingsman originated. Leaves the door open for sequels too
• Ralph Fiennes is pitch perfect as Oxford and his supporting cast of Hounsou and Arteron make for an epic trio that I hope gets more screen time
• Unique WWI setting
• Rasputin is an entertaining, and very weird, "co" villain

Rath's Review Score | 7/10