
Flicks, Steve Newall
Managing to be even more ridiculous than its predecessor, Kingsman: The Golden Circle sadly lacks the surprise factor of Matthew Vaughn’s 2014 breath of fresh (sometimes wonderfully foul) air. Unable to repeat the apprenticeship aspect of The Secret Service, its sequel kicks off with formerly-wayward youth Eggsy now a fully-fledged Kingsman agent, and attempts to fill the void left by a relatable underdog tale with overstuffed trans-Atlantic adventure. Uniformly enjoyable viewing, if seldom truly thrilling, the gags come at a clip, Vaughn’s action sequences remain distinctively staged, and callbacks to the prior installment earn solid chuckles.
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