Kingsman: The Golden Circle, written and directed by Matthew Vaughn, is a sequel to the highly regarded 2014 Kingsman film based off the graphic novel of the same name. Golden Circle also brings back much of the cast from the original, and touts additions such as Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges. Now, I want to quickly talk about what everyone else seems to have mentioned. Channing Tatum is not in this movie much. I don’t currently have the numbers, but it’s possible that Elton John is in the movie more than Tatum, and John definitely plays a more prominent role, and it worked.

The main Villain in The Golden Circle is Poppy, played by Julianne Moore. She is the leader of a major drug cartel, and wants to be publicly known. The very first thing she does is destroy the Kingsman’s agents, which leads to Eggsy finding out about, and working with the Statesman out of the USA. While Poppy is the main villain, we of course have more characters to deal with, some of which are outright bad and others that live in a morally gray area.

While the Kingsman: The Secret Service film may have been a work of art, The Golden Circle decides to change the formula ever so slightly. The Secret Service really focused on the growth of Eggsy ( Taron Egerton) as a character, The Golden Circle decides to embrace the camp that is often associated with spy-action movies. As I mentioned earlier, Elton John plays a memorable role in the movie. This is a perfect example of how the camp and fun factor is played at a much higher rate than the original. The Golden Circle does keep the high flying, action packed camera work, though. The action shots are one of the most important parts of The Secret Service, and Golden Circle is able to not only stay on par in this aspect, but also improve.

Play Your Way Network Rating: ★★★★

Many people talked about the plans that Poppy had as a villain, and how they were obvious to be unsuccessful. Many people have griped about that, but the movie flat out admits that Poppy’s plan will not work, and that’s when we insert someone of a morally gray background. The movie’s story and characters all make sense, as do all of their motivations, and that’s something we can’t take for granted in a 2017 action flick.

At the end of the day, The Golden Circle is a fun time and that’s all you need from a movie like this. The movie doesn’t show it’s hand too quickly, plays it’s card right, and keeps you entertained throughout. It may not live up to the hype that originated from the original, but I believe when people go back and reflect on the film, they will realize that it stands on it’s own merits. It may not be a movie that you should rush out and see right this moment, but it’s something that you will be able to walk out of and say you enjoyed.