The joy of being a sequel is that your world and the characters that inhabit it have already been set introduced. As a result you can take these characters and throw them into any situation, knowing how they will react. Alternatively, you can be like Kingsman: The Golden Circle and kill off most of those characters and locations we know so well. This is absolutely genius in terms of developing the plot because it’s immediately made clear to us that nobody is safe. It builds on the original films message of “trust no-one” by throwing the main cast into a whole new set of characters with no safety net. It’s the equivelent of Emperor Palpatine executing Order 66 about 20 minutes into Attack of the Clones. It puts us in a sense of unease because if the writers are willing to start a film with that, there’s no telling what else they might do.
We follow our only surviving Kingsmen, Eggsy and Merlin, as they team up with their American counterparts, the Statesmen, to take on a deadly drug virus. In a coincidental turn of events, Statesmen happen to have saved Eggsys mentor Harry Hart. Yes, he was shot at point blank range in the head but the beauty of comic book movies is that something like that can be cured. Had this been just another spy film, it would have meant certain death, but in the world that Kingsman has established it’s not implausible. To be honest, I’m really glad they brought Harry back because I think it’s one of Colin Firths best roles. I’m also glad because Eggsy has been through enough and without Harry or Merlin, would be the only Kingsman left. In a horrifically tragic turn of events, Merlin doesn’t make it to this films end, sacrificing himself so that the final mission can succeed. The buildup to this moment and the weight of his actions are given the time they deserve. As a result of this heroic moment, I was unable to listen to Take me Home, Country Roads for several weeks without tearing up.
To contrast this sadness there must be joy and a considerate amount of that joy is provided by the presence of Sir Elton John. He is being held captive by our villian which leads to a really bitchy Sir Elton and a wonderful variation of Saturday Night’s Alright upon his rescue. I really enjoyed seeing this side of him and hope he participates in more cameos like this going forward. Watching The Golden Circle helped me realise that we need more stories depicting well-functioning drug users. This film makes a point of stating that sugar is as addicting and unhealthy as hard drugs and leads to as many deaths, so why shouldn’t drugs be legal and taxed like alcohol? It’s a conversation that our governments need to start having, especially when you consider how many places have now legalised marajuana and how their economies have benefited from that. Im no drug expert but in the UK there are at least 5,000 deaths per year from alcohol and 78,000 from smoking. This is an issue worth talking about and should be on of the main things you take away from The Golden Circle. When you’ve finished enjoying the chases and gadgets. Once you’ve appreciated the effects and the acting. While you re-listen to that stunning soundtrack, I want you to ask yourself and the people around you one thing. If tobacco and alcohol can be legal and taxed, why can’t drugs?
Until Next Time…
Shakesqueer 