Coastal View News
The post-Oscar hangover is harsh. The highs of movies like
“Boyhood”, “Birdman”, and “The Grand Budapest Hotel”—which, by my estimation, are
higher than most years’ highs—are replaced by the crushing lows of “Hot Tub
Time Machine 2”, “The Lazarus Effect”, and “Fifty Shades of Grey”. A year in
cinema always has peaks and troughs. This, alas, is no peak.
Which is not to say that there is nothing worth seeing out
there. For example, “Kingsman: The Secret Service”, whilst, again, hardly being
a high point, is enjoyable. This movie—which was actually released just before
the Oscars—is a wild ride. It is way over the top. It is fantastical. And it is
so earnestly unserious about itself that it makes for a good time.
The Kingsman—the group, not the movie—is a very secret, very
elite British spy organization responsible for responding to and eliminating
the world’s biggest threats. Well, actually, that’s not quite right. After all,
global warming is plausibly one of the world’s biggest threats. And,
ironically, it is this film’s villain—media mogul, Valentine (Samuel L.
Jackson)—who is all about eliminating global warming (by eliminating its cause—i.e.,
us!). But more on that in a moment.
The Kingsman does, at very least, deal with a lot of the
conventional spy organization, James Bond-style threats—you know, terrorists,
Nazis, communists, etc.
This is dangerous work, as you might expect, and full of
tragedy. So when agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) loses a fellow Kingsman one
day, he takes it hard. So hard, in fact, that he dedicates his life to making
it up to his fallen comrade’s baby son, Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin (Taron Egerton).
By the time he has grown up, Eggsy is a smart, talented, and
sometimes charming kid. But he is also rough around the edges. He comes from a
tough neighborhood. The streets are his playground. So when Harry comes
knocking to recruit Eggsy for the Kingsman, both know there will be some
growing pains.
And growing pains there are. Eggsy endures brutal and
exhausting training as part of a competition with other recruits for the single
open spot in the Kingsman. The way that Eggsy responds to challenges is
unconventional and sometimes awkward. However, to his credit, he rather quickly
learns to use his out-of-the-box approach to his advantage.
Unfortunately evil does not wait for training to complete.
While Eggsy and his fellow candidates are still in their learning phase,
Valentine is busy plotting the demise of the civilized world. His thing is
global warming. He thinks of the human race as a virus or parasite feeding off
the earth. And since us viruses are just ignoring what we are doing to the
environment, Valentine sees it as his prerogative to cure Mother Earth of its
disease.
The Kingsman do not agree, of course—well, at least not for
the most part. So, ready or not, Harry, Eggsy and crew must spring into action.
“The Kingsman” has several immediate advantages that have
nothing to do with plot, character development, conflict, catharsis, metaphor,
or anything very sophisticated like that. First: immensely charming actors in
snappy clothes. This advantage should not be underestimated. Second, this
movie’s choreography and cinematography—particularly during the many comically
brutal fight scenes—are stunningly engaging. Again, the force of this advantage
should not be underestimated.
The question is whether “The Kingsman” can do what a movie
like, say, the second “Matrix” could not do—that is, either transcend its
immediate, relatively superficial advantages, or else ply those advantages to
such great effect that it is possible to ignore its other deficiencies. It is a
close call whether “The Kingsman” does either of these things. Its plot is
formulaic and predictable. And there is not a whole lot else to grab onto and
love. But it is not a disaster, either. It is plenty fun. And it certainly is
no “Matrix Reloaded”.
Thank God.
