8.5/10

Rating: 8/10 (25 February 2015)

My cheeks are hurting, my ribs are aching and my head is numb, that's how much fun I had with this f**ing awesome film! There isn't really a word to describe how entertaining this experience is, I'll just say that in fact of fun factor it reaches levels that had been missing ever since The Avengers hit theaters.
How can I start describing it when the only thing that I really want to get through is just: go see this film and have a blast. Really, I have been a fan of Matthew Vaughn before people even knew he existed, ever since Layer Cake, which I still contend is one of the great underestimated movies of cinema possibly. The action is clearly the culmination of all Vaughn's experience and it pays off, every single frame pays off. Be it the fast paced scenes, the frenetic ones or most of all the stunning long takes, the action is always excellent. Sequence after sequence my jaw war dropped, most of all the sky diving and the church scene, which I for one did not find in any possible way offensive, were a force to be reckoned with: I challenge you not to go on the edge of your seat in those moments! silently, but clearly pays homage to the likes of Edgar Wright and that makes it all the more entertaining to watch. A big, big highlight of the movie is the music which I found to be spot on right from the opening credits. Taron Egerton breaks through and shows us his potential, which believe me is incredible. Of course the cast surrounding him is flawless, but with names like Firth, Strong, Caine and Jackson that's a given by now. All of the cast is awesome the old and the young, they all craft characters who are interesting to watch, for whom you feel empathy and even do great stunts. Every aspect of the filmaking here is an example of technical perfection and this added even another layer to the film, because other than watching characters interact with great, funny dialouge and kick-ass everywhere, I was genuinely admiring the brilliance of the filmaking.
Because of this I really can't call out the movie for any negatives, per say, it fulfills its job more than perfectly and actually does much more. But, I will acknowledge that a movie that immediately came to mind when thinking of this one was "Kick-Ass", in particular the fact that "Kingsman" is missing some small things, that made "Kick-Ass" instead the gem it is. For example: the story behind this film isn't the greatest I could have asked for, it serves its purpose, but I could have easily seen something slightly edgier fitting in, just like in "Kick-Ass" where, moreover, the fact that it had a great story, made it actually, amongst all the madness in the movie, a quietly moving and partly inspiring film. That's not to say that "Kingsman" doesn't have good storytelling, on the contrary it has some excellent, balanced and clever way of telling its story, but doesn't have a high enough concept.
Yet, that's really too much bragging for this film, I look forward to seeing it again and if you are still reading this review: what are you doing here? Get up and go have a blast!