“Manners maketh the man” in the new “Kingsman” movie, where our favorite duo Eggsy and Harry must save the world from an evil madman — or in this case, mad-woman.
In this iteration of the raunchy yet beloved series, our favorite spy organization, the Kingsmen, are in dire straits and face their greatest opponent yet, a psychotic drug dealer named Poppy (played by Julianne Moore).
In this twisted rendition, the Kingsmen are on the brink of extinction and must team up with their American counterparts, the Statesmen, to foil Poppy’s plan to kill innocent civilians and force the president to legalize all drugs.
This movie, like its predecessor, stays true to the vile nature of the source material through grotesque deaths, crude humor and explicit sexual innuendo.
Yet the second fails to capture some of the magic of the first.
The first movie was special.
It had an entertainment value on par with a movie like “Deadpool,” but also had relatable characters like Eggsy.
The second, while still having the comedic quality and intense action of the first, failed to bring the personable nature to the new characters.
Eggsy is no longer portrayed as the everyman and is instead depicted to be living the high life by dating royalty and having a cool job.
Going further down the misfit cast of characters, however, reveals the same issues.
Channing Tatum’s character, who despite being heavily teased in the trailer, has 10 minutes of meaningful screen time.
Yet the screen time he does receive seems contrived just for the sake of laughs.
Even the character’s name – Agent Tequila – is meant simply as a joke.
On its own, the film is entertaining at best, but it failed to live up to the unique standard that its predecessor set.
Anyone looking to see a film on par with the first will be sorely disappointed, but will still leave mildly entertained.

3/5 Stars