Review Roundup - Matthew Vaughn's KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, the Kingsman's journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the United States known as the "Statesman". Headquartered in a Bourbon whiskey distillery in Kentucky, the Kingsman and the Statesman must band together to defeat a common enemy.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is co-produced and directed by Matthew Vaughn. It is a sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), which is based on the comic book series Kingsman, created by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. The film features Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Edward Holcroft and Sophie Cookson reprising their roles from the first film, with Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal, Elton John, Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges joining the cast.

Let's see what the critics have to say:

Dan Jolin, Empire: "As ultraviolent as the first film, and as ultrasmutty, The Golden Circle will leave the Kingsfans grinning, even if its characters have less growing to do this time around."

Robbie Collin, The Telegraph: "Kingsman acolytes will presumably be hoping for a set-piece or two to rival the first film's instantly notorious Baptist church massacre, but nothing here comes remotely close in terms of either energy or shock value."

Peter Debruge, Variety: "It is all aggressively stylized, abusively fast-paced and ear-bleedingly loud, relying so heavily on CGI that nothing - not one thing - seems to correspond to the real world."

Chris Nashawaty, EW: "First things first. Kingsman: The Golden Circle is not a good movie. Even approached with the watered-down expectations that one brings to a late-September Hollywood sequel, Matthew Vaughn's bespoke secret-agent follow-up is massively disappointing. More than that, it's dispiriting - a too campy, tonally schizophrenic barrage of idiotic plot twists, wasted star cameos, and over-the-top gags that aren't nearly as entertaining as their creators think they are."

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" offers everything - several bored Oscar winners, two scenes featuring death by meat grinder, Elton John mugging in close-up - except a good time."

Adi Robertson, The Verge: "Similar to the trajectory of recent Bond films, it's a bigger, less focused follow-up without the first film's originality, or the built-in narrative device of an origin story. But it's also good at hitting the best notes of The Secret Service, and it's just as stylish - and as grotesque - as its predecessor."

PHOTO CREDIT: 'Kingsman' Official Facebook Page

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