When Kingsman: The Secret Service catapulted onto the big screen in 2014, it was like something we’ve never seen before. It’s an action, comedy and spy thriller all rolled into one smooth package, but what really stood out was the stylishly violent scenes, giving us one unexpected moment after another, all of which were breath-taking to watch. Then there’s the ruthless but graceful Gazelle, a super spy killer with prosthetic legs made of blades, played to stealthy perfection by dancer Sofia Boutella.
Based on the Kingsman comic book and directed by the maestro of edgy films, Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, X-Men First Class), Kingsman: The Secret Service tells the story of how street kid Eggsy (Taron Egerton) was recruited into a super-secret spy organisation through an almost brutal training programme. An instant hit, it was only natural that a sequel should be waiting in the wings.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle features bigger star power with returning familiar faces. Here are 6 reasons why we can’t wait to catch it.
- It stars an Oscar-winning cast
This time round, the Kingsman’s secret service travels Stateside after their home base was destroyed by a crime syndicate called The Golden Circle. This means an expanded cast, and adding flavour to the movie are some very big names. Reuniting with the movie's original cast, we have a total of five Oscar winners: Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Colin Firth, and Elton John.
An expansion of Uncle Sam
When the idea of the original Kingsman movie came about, it was supposed to be about an American Secret Service who call themselves “Uncle Sam”. The movie eventually shifted across the pond instead to be a British spy movie. That original idea is now seen in the sequel; The Kingsman team travels to America to meet with their US counterparts, now named as the Statesman.
The Statesman are named after alcoholic beverages
The Statesmen all have very interesting names. Channing Tatum is Agent Tequila, while Pedro Pascal is Agent Whiskey, as in Jack Daniels. Then, we have Jeff Bridges- the leader of the Statesman, named Agent Champagne. In fact, these Americans love their alcohol so much, the Statesman HQ even has gigantic 10-foot tall whiskey barrels.
A nod to James Bond
It’s only natural that this millennial James Bond-esque movie pays homage to the original spy movie. There is an outrageous yet surreal underwater tax scene that sees Eggsy driving a London Taxi cab in the water, to get to the Statesman HQ. Director Vaughn shares that it was inspired by the submarine Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me, but an updated version. In fact, Vaughn promises to up the ante, so the cab travelling underwater isn’t its only trick.
Yet another enhanced henchman
In Kingsman: The Secret Service, we saw the lethal Gazelle with blades for legs, a femme fatale that kicked butt and eventually, the bucket. This sequel follows up with yet another henchman with an enhanced body part- a robotic arm. He turns out to be Eggy’s nemesis from the first movie- Charlie Hesketh (Edward Holcroft), who survived the carnage at the end of the first movie, but lost his arm, and hair. Now he’s been given an upgrade that allows him to do more horrible things to people. We can’t wait to see how that pans out.
Colin Firth is back
When we first saw Colin Firth in Kingsman: The Secret Service, the unanimous response was a “Colin Firth as an ass-kicking spy, really?” He is after all, known more for his more gentlemanly roles like Mark Darcy in the Bridget Jones's Diary series and his award-winning King George VI in The King’s Speech (2009). It takes some imagination to see him as a smooth and suave spy. As Harry Hart, not only did Firth kick some serious spy ass, he did them all stylishly. We all thought he died at the end of Kingsman: The Secret Service, but from the looks of the trailer, it seems that Harry Hart is back, and sporting a fashionable eye patch on his left eye.
