Panders too much, subverts too little.

Rating: 6/10 (4 March 2015)

Kingsman: The Secret Service is the type of film that wants to be special, but it's anything but. This isn't another Austin Powers level parody of a beloved sub-genre, for better or for worse. While Bond has added the grit as of late, Kingsman tries its best to emulate it in the action and as a result, it's a film that panders too much and subverts too little. Its idea of what you least expect is a lisping Samuel L. Jackson who serves McDonald's for dinner. Nevertheless, it is enjoyable entertainment if your brain is firmly switched off. It has a nasty habit of plummeting characters into situations that are only really interesting in hindsight of their twists and as a result, they're unsatisfying until the reveal, including the now infamous church sequence. Matthew Vaughn is good at bringing a little bit of Hollywood back home so it is often cinematic though hit-and-miss with its sense of style. The film does do one thing intelligently and that's the illustration of class conflict. But the controversial joke near its end shows the standards its reaching for. Ultimately, Kingsman tries to be a franchise starter without starting with enough of worth. Beats a normal comic book adaptation I guess.
6/10