Sporadically entertaining.

Rating: 7/10 (17 February 2015)

I like Mark Millar's body of work. I loved The Ultimates 1 & 2, Civil War, Wanted, Kick-Ass, and Nemesis. I never really read of Kingsman, nor did I hear about it until I saw the first trailer.
With that being said this film was okay, decent fun.
I didn't particularly find the beginning interesting, despite some stylish opening credits. I found that the film really took its time to get started and it took too long to get everything set up. But there are a lot of moments that really kept me involved. In particular Samuel L. Jackson as Richmond Valentine and Colin Firth as Harry Hart/Galahad.
Firth kept me emotionally involved in the film as his character bonds with Taron Egerton's Gary "Eggsy" Unwin. Not to mention he is a complete badass. As for Jackson, he surprised me the most. When I first heard about the casting of Samuel L. Jackson, I thought putting him within this cast felt a little force, and I thought this was going to be another "typical Samuel L. Jackson performance." But to my surprise he was very intriguing to watch. He was a clam, sensitive, and for a lack of a better word, a soft villain, but with an ultimate goal. His character also had a lisp and a swagger to him that was a charm to watch on screen.
Taron Egerton is pretty good here too. He's got chops to hold his own against Firth, Jackson, Strong, and even Michael Cain, who has a small role. His comedic timing is very spot on and has some humorous dialog. He was very good in the role, but he doesn't shine until the last act of the film. Here is where he shows that he's a very capable action star, something director Matthew Vaughn is very capable of showcasing, i.e. Chloe Moretz(Kick-Ass). He also shares a nice, but kinda useless friendship/romance banter with Roxy portrayed by Sophie Cookson. Mark Strong as Merlin is also great here too.
This film also shows off that Matthew Vaughn flare. The action sequences are fantastic and well shot. There is one particular scene in the church that may turn some people off, but one can't deny that it was pulled off with style. At times the film can be hard to follow. I finally understood Valentine's motive and plan in-between the middle and final act, and some bland and boring spots here in there. But Kingsman is very self-aware of other spy movie clichés, filled with stylish action, solid performances and a decent amount of laughs that will pleasantly kill off two hours of your time.
7.5/10