{"id":2441,"date":"2015-02-26T15:15:33","date_gmt":"2015-02-26T20:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/~reviewing\/?page_id=2441"},"modified":"2015-02-26T15:16:57","modified_gmt":"2015-02-26T20:16:57","slug":"kingsman-surprisingly-fun-spy-film","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/reviewing\/?page_id=2441","title":{"rendered":"‘Kingsman’ surprisingly fun spy film"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted February 26, 2015<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By ALEXANDRA KLUMPP<\/p>\n

First things first: \u201cKingsman: The Secret Service\u201d stars Colin Firth as he has never been seen before.<\/p>\n

He plays Harry Hart and he is (there\u2019s no better word for it) a badass. Still the good guy we like to see Firth play. But a dropkicking, kill you with that beer mug on the table or your own handgun, tailored suit and leather shoes on, bulletproof umbrella-holding gentleman.<\/p>\n

\"MV5BMTkxMjgwMDM4Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMTk3NTIwNDE@._V1_SX640_SY720_\"<\/a>That\u2019s literally what he and his fellow spies in the movie refer to themselves as — the gentleman part that is. The rest is the typical 007-like necessities. (You can\u2019t win unless your cigarette lighter is actually a hand grenade.)<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s Samuel Jackson, who plays Richmond Valentine. He is the snapback-wearing, gold-chain bearing, can\u2019t really take serious until woah he is serious <\/em>villain. He can\u2019t fight and he has a lisp. Samuel Jackson as a lisping bad guy basically trying to take over the world is classic.<\/p>\n

The movie is pretty kick<\/em> ass<\/em>. I didn\u2019t mean to reference director Matthew Vaughn\u2019s 2010 movie of that title, about superheroes there, but it definitely works in more ways than one to compare to his new movie.<\/p>\n

This one isn\u2019t about superheroes although \u201cEggsy,\u201d street kid turned gentleman played by Taron Egerton, does attempt to save the world against Valentine, who\u2019s plotting to basically wipe the planet\u2019s population in an attempt to stop overpopulation and in turn, save the world. Didn\u2019t really understand this until I double-checked online, but I understood enough in theaters to feel the kill-bad guy-or-world-ends suspense thing directors do (and Vaughn does in \u201cKick Ass\u201d).<\/p>\n

The movie is also literally all about ass kicking<\/em>. It\u2019s gory. People are stabbed in the eyes, head, and heart (and anywhere else you can think of) with brooms, knives, sticks and Valentine\u2019s sidekick\u2019s metal feet (and pretty much any other possible weapon too).<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s gory in that Tarantino\u2019s \u201cKill Bill\u201d way \u2013 a lot of blood but a lot of fake. Somehow the guy who gets stabbed right through his body and falls off a second story floor still manages to get a full sentence in afterwards.<\/p>\n

Heads are blown off one-by-one with flying colors like fireworks to the beat of the music. Vaughn makes us literally smile during this. The movie\u2019s light-hearted tone allows even the most evil of acts to be avenged with a chuckle.<\/p>\n

The movie includes Vaughn\u2019s usual eye-popping visuals and exaggerated soundtrack that makes it both creative and fun to watch.<\/p>\n

There are always predictable moments in a light-hearted movie like this. The underdog street kid, Eggsy — who is also one of the main characters — is obviously<\/em> going to make it out alive. That was not a spoiler. And a few moments of cheesiness are necessary to add that little bit of emotion. But don\u2019t be fooled — the movie has plenty of surprises.<\/p>\n

You might feel inspired by some, another might break your heart, and another will<\/em> catch you off guard, your mouth slightly opened and a hand scratching your head like \u201chow did that just happened?\u201d Or \u201cWow. That escalated quickly\u201d (but you\u2019ll have to wait for the very end for that). It\u2019s pretty scandalous.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll get over it fairly quickly though and realize you probably shouldn\u2019t have been all that surprised.<\/p>\n

The Point: Don\u2019t take the movie too seriously. The movie\u2019s message \u201cyou can be who you want to be despite your familial circumstance\u201d is clich\u00e9. But the movie is funny. It\u2019s fun. It\u2019s entertaining. And it\u2019s visually appealing.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s bringing spies <\/em>back. I can\u2019t wait to see what Vaughn stirs up for the sequel (cause this movie has<\/em> to have a sequel and will probably have a third, maybe fourth). I\u2019d like to see the gentlemen\u2019s striped ties spew poison next time.<\/p>\n