The King's Man Movie Review: Ain't That Kind Of Movie You Expected, But A Fulfilling War-Action-Spy-Drama

"It ain't that kind of movie," I still remember this quote from Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014). However illogical that film was, this quote changed the entire perspective of looking at it. You see Lancelot getting cut into two pieces but there is no blood. Well, let's forget the logic for a moment and then you realize that it was a freaking entertaining action film with all modern techniques. The sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) was slightly below the mark and now we have The King's Man (2021), serving as a prequel to the best film of this series. Yes, this film makes more sense because it has 'A Logic' all over the narrative but that drains out a lot of the thrill and amazing combat sequences you expect from this franchise. It's not even a regular spy drama, for which this series is known. It's more like a war-action-drama, which ends, on a note where you know what happens next if you have seen those two films. For the first-timers too, there is nothing complicated or unrecognisable. It's like a fresh fruit, and a digestible one.This action Spy drama is set in the early years of the 20th century, where history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions. One man and his two proteges must stop them and that's how the Kingsman agency is formed. We have seen in The Secret Service how greatly talented the agents are. Yet, Lancelot is torn into pieces, but we don't have any such brutal scenes here. It might have looked funny though. The King's Man may feel slow in the first half but the second half is very engaging. Things really move fast when needed, providing a terrific action-packed conclusion to the prequel. It has that compressed version of the larger-than-life action we saw in the previous two films because the War scenario never allows it to go all out. Tsar, British and America these superpowers are used for the destructive set-up which looks thin, but as mentioned earlier, it gives an extra boost of logical statistics.The film stars Ralph Fiennes as Orlando Oxford in the lead role while his two proteges are played by Gemma Arterton (Polly) and Djimon Hounsou (Shola). Fiennes shows his finesse as the founder of Kingsman Agency. In the first half, it never looked like that this handsome fella would turn a bloody killer and yet not lose his charm in the conclusive part. Gemma and Djimon have got very important scenes to share and both have done quite well. It's a little annoying to know that Rhys Ifans as Rasputin is wrapped up too early, who apparently portrays the deadliest character in the entire film. Even the main villain looked nowhere close to him (hopefully, not a spoiler). Two of the best performances came from Harris Dickinson and Tom Hollander, that's undeniable.

The King's Man has got plenty of action for the fans and this time with little more brain. The Secret Service had stunning, superfast action scenes, which didn't even allow you to blink, which are missing here. The visual effects are amazing and you will love those top views of mountains and glittering icebergs, especially the way Cinematographer has captured it and the VFX team has made it shine.Matthew Vaughn has remained faithful to Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons' comics in all three films. Marv Studios did the right thing by not changing the director, because this man, Vaughn, knew what to do with the product. He had cracked that formula 7 years ago, but even today he hasn't loosened that grip on his storytelling. The factual understanding was missing in the previous films but here he got it all right. The King's is not better than the opening film of the series and to be frank, that film might just remain the best in the series forever, but it's a fulfilling ride for sure. Like they said, 'It ain't that kind of movie,' but you know it's a new beginning and you have to watch it for the sake of your love for the Kingsman Agency. Overall, a nice attempt to discover the early struggle of a beloved spy agency and perfectly adequate for your needs and expectations within certain limits.