I am not the kind of person who looks forward to parodies. As much as I am a fan of films like Airplane, Naked Gun, and even the first two Scary Movie movies (DON'T JUDGE ME!!!), I have been so burned by films like Movie 43, Inappropriate Comedy, and the films of Friedberg and Seltzer, that I have not been interested in seeing a parody in a long time. But I decided to go see Kingsman, directed by Matthew Vaughn and based on the comic by Mark Millar for two reasons: 1; I grew up on a healthy diet of spy movies ranging from James Bond to Jason Bourne to Mission: Impossible, and as much as I love them, there are a lot of things to make fun of in those movies. 2; I am a fan of comic book writer Mark Millar, known for other books such as The Ultimates, Wanted, Civil War, and Kick-Ass. I'd go so far as to call him the Quentin Tarantino of comic book writers. And 3; I love Matthew Vaughn. You always go into his films expecting one thing, and you always get something so much better than you could have imagined. His first film, Layer Cake, is fairly straightforward, but it is considered the main reason Daniel Craig was chosen to play James Bond. I didn't see want to watch Stardust because it seemed like something more fit for my sister, but I found it surprisingly charming and funny. I talked my older brother into sneaking me into Kick-Ass (also adapted from one of Millar's books), and it was one of the most fun experiences I have ever had in a theater, mainly because I hadn't seen any trailers and figured it would be a standard raunchy comedy, but discovered a satire that poked fun at superhero movies while also sticking with the tropes that make up superhero movies. X-Men: First Class came at a point where everybody, myself included, was done with the X-Men series, claiming that it had dipped in quality to the point that it could not be saved, but Vaughn found a way, by using 60's James Bond films as inspiration, to breath new life into the franchise. So I went in expecting a standard spy spoof, but what I found was much more than that.
Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton) is a young man living in inner-city london with his mother, sister, and abusive step-father. He spends most of his time drinking with his friends, stealing other people's cars, and other forms of mayhem. It appears that his life is going nowhere until a mysterious older gentlemen, Harry Hart (Colin Firth), approaches him and informs him that his father was a gentleman spy who worked for an organization known as the Kingsmen, headed by Arthur (Michael Caine), and that due to the death of another agent, Harry has decided to recruit Eggsy into the Kingsman. During the course of Eggsy's training, it is revealed that billionare mogul Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) is about to initiate a plan that will cause global annihilation, and it is up to the Kingsmen to stop him.
While the story is more or less a cross between James Bond and Harry Potter, there is more to it than that. Valentine's plan is meant to be a satire on how far certain political parties are willing to go in order to get what they want. It can also be seen as a metaphor for the differences between British and American culture, seen in a dinner scene between Hart and Valentine where they consume fine wine and junk food and in the conversations they have whilst eating. It is also a commentary about how serious spy films have become, and how the elder, more classic spy films have been more or less forgotten about. There are many subtexts you can discover while watching this film, but it never has to say any of them explicitly. That is what good satire is supposed to do.
The cast is all on top form. Colin Firth is excellent as always, and as it turns out, quite the action star, as seen in one scene in a bar and one scene in a church, both of which are standout sequences. Michael Caine is enjoyable as ever, Mark Strong, playing Merlin, is hilarious and not quite who you expect him to be baded on his previous roles in films like Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, Green Lantern, John Carter, and Vaughn's previous Kick-Ass. Samuel L. Jackson has previously received unfair comparisons to his character in the much maligned The Spirit, but unlike that film, he is hysterical every time he is on screen, and the joke about his lisp never gets old. Mark "Luke Skywalker" Hamill is not in the movie very much, but makes an impression whenever he is (he still sounds like the Joker with a British accent). But the real standout here is Egerton, who demonstrates a strong sense of charisma and likability even when he is doing stupid things early on. And, yes, I also think he would be a great choice for the new Spider-Man.
However, this movie would not be a true action comedy without good action or good comedy. The action is incredible, and while the camera shakes and there are multiple cuts, it never gets to the point where it is confusing or frustrating unlike other recent action films... cough *Taken 3* cough. The comedy is also very well done, coming in at exactly the right moments. I saw the movie with a packed crowd that could not have been more insane. They were cheering and laughing at almost everything, and the final scene before the credits (which I'm sure will be met with controversy for some reason) had them screaming at the top of their lungs in joy. And I will admit, it was very contagious.
When Vaughn left X-Men: Days of Future Past for this, I said to myself, "This better be worth it". And it really was. Hilarious, intense, and overall fun, Kingsman is a spy comedy that knows exactly what it is and does it very well. Do yourself a favor and skip 50 Shades of Grey and go see this. Or, if your girlfriend/wife makes you see 50 Shades of Grey, try to talk her into letting you go see Kingsman before or after.
I give Kingsman: The Secret Service 10 out of 10 martinis, (shaken, not stirred).
