WHAT IS THE POINT IN THIS? Is it like ‘The Producers’, where they WANT it to flop?? New age restricted red band trailer is out. Something just does not ‘click’ for me though..

I only ask, coz…

1:

I do love Matthew Vaughn visuals. Seriously, I think he is a Spielberg successor in waiting and would make a great 007 director, too. X MEN:FIRST CLASS is among my most favouritest filims. LAYER CAKE is a masterpiece! KINGSMAN 1 and 2 play on my greatest hits list, frequently. Those films have warmth and heart amidst the adolescent naughtiness and kinetic action.

But:

2:

THE KING’S MAN? It has a LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN vibe to it. Something just does not click in its pseudo-cyberpunk aesthetic.

3:

STOP PUTTING RALPH FIENNES in action movies. He’s awkward at best when not deployed with suitably substantial material. Ralph = best for: Literary adaptations; Nazis; Period pieces; Shakespeare. But his delivery here is even more stilted than his John Steed or M.

4:

LOTS OF FAUX RUSSIAN ACCENTS. Stop this. BLACK WIDOW was bad enough with this shit. And if you MUST have a cartoon Rasputin as your bad guy? Then why cast Rhys Ifans, ffs? BIT odd. Cast Russian /Eastern European actors. Or don’t write the roles that way, yeah?

SONY DSC

5:

They have moosified the divine GEMMA ARTERTON and given her an inexplicably overstretched northern ee by gum up north accent? WHY? She has a perfectly crisp, sexy, warm, modulated RADA via East ender treacle tone which is key to her infinite charm. And yes, I can speak from experience. Saw her at a premiere once. I was quite literally speechless in the presence of that jaw dropping beauty.

6:

In an era of #BLM? REALLY?

Djimon Hounsou Your ONE black dude appears to be the MAN SERVANT?!

Why not make him your lead hero or the founding kingsman? That would work in universe and explain the secrecy of the order (ie they had to dodge the real racists back then instead of the ones we look for under our beds today?).

It would have been daring, bold, innovative and of the time. TRULY edgy, subversive and cool in a way that this trailer simply isn’t.  But no. He’s the magic man servant, it appears. Pathetic. Myopic. Missed opp!

7:

It’s both too early in this series (ie they have only made two films or 3, including this one) and too late in cinematic trends to ‘world build’ via prequels.

Just give us a proper KINGSMAN 3 with Taron Egerton and Channing Tatum! 

8:

Bit like the Guy Ritchie syndrome (much as I love his work as much as Vaughn’s) here in that there is at once an obsession with and rebellion against class.

You cannot have it both ways. Don’t on one hand have every wally in plus fours and cap yet aim for ‘fakkkkin gangsta’ chic / violent energy. Especially when your cinematic style is basically that of a nouveau riche dorm bully who just raided their allowance.

There is nothing innately stylish about cufflinks /swords /tailoring etc. It’s the distinction, the discovery and the application that make those ‘work’ (cf: James Bond).

And stop using motifs such as ‘manners makyth man‘ when those belong, specifically, to Winchester /New College, Oxford, and your movie seems somehow lacking in citation of those sources?

All That said?

9:

Yes, I will watch this and look forward to doing so. If only because I love to be proven wrong and pleasantly surprised. And I wish all involved with this movie, the very best of British Good luck, naturally! 😉