Just before the start of World War I, a group of the world’s most terrifying tyrants gather and develop a plan to bring the world to its knees. The King’s Man is the story of the birth of a covert agency tasked with protecting the world without anyone else knowing. Led by Orlando Oxford (Ralph Fiennes), Polly (Gemma Arterton), and Shola (Djimon Hounsou), this agency, which will eventually come to be known as the Kingsman, will do what they can to save the world from certain destruction. But with individuals like Grigori Rasputin (Rhys Ifans) in their way, their task will prove to be far more difficult than expected.
The previous two films in this franchise were splendid surprises, as they seemed to hit every necessary note for a great cinematic adventure film. The King’s Man is an entirely different style of film, and it doesn’t live up to the hype of its predecessors (even though this is technically a prequel film). The King’s Man is an intelligently written film that requires viewers to have a decent understanding of the events leading up to and included in the aforementioned World War I. Without this prior knowledge, much of what occurs throughout the film will be lost on viewers, and that will certainly develop a difficult hurdle to jump over. The intellect present throughout the entirety of the film resonates with me, and it’s appealing, because I understand the amount of time and patience that would have gone into developing a script of this nature.
The script is brilliant, and if you don’t understand that, I’d venture to guess that there is something about the context of the film that you also don’t understand. However, beyond the intelligence that transcends the historical nature of said script, I feel as if a great part of what made the prior films successful is lost here. Something that appealed to viewers in the previous installments is the seemingly nonstop action, but that doesn’t exist here. The King’s Man doesn’t necessarily try to reinvent the franchise, but what it does is attempt to reimagine it in a world where violence isn’t the vehicle by which the story is told. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, viewers anticipate more of the same when entering the third installment of the franchise, and veering from that (even slightly) changes the dynamic of the franchise as a whole–but it also antagonizes viewers to a degree. Maybe I’m being selfish, but I want more of what made me love Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, but, sadly, I only get that recipe to a degree, and what I get ultimately feels like a bastardized version of the films I love.
For those of you who are familiar with Writer-Director Matthew Vaughns’ work, you know that he’s not afraid to kill off main characters. Now, I’m not saying that anyone important dies, but the fact that his followers understand this means that they have no choice but to anticipate the worst from the opening moments. Fearing the worst for each and every character on screen means added drama and better participation by the audience–and this plays a pivotal role in the reception of The King’s Man. Sadly, this isn’t enough to offset the fact that, unlike characters such as Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Harry Hart (Colin Firth), the ones present in The King’s Man don’t appeal to viewers enough to add to the intensity of the film. Even though I anticipated a moment when a main character would ultimately meet their demise, I wasn’t worried about anyone in particular. Their fates didn’t matter to me, and if someone died, so be it. This is not a great way to traverse the film, and it takes a toll on Vaughn’s project.
There’s a beautiful pairing of sound and cinematography that brings everything, even the less-than-impressive aspects of The King’s Man to life. This is something comparable to the series’ previous installments. The music of Dominic Lewis and Matthew Margeson, paired with Ben Davis (director of photography) and all that he brings to the table, creates something vibrant and almost tangible. Fun is a word that could easily be used to describe this franchise as a whole, and while there are moments of excitement throughout The King’s Man, these previously mentioned aspects are what truly allow the film to be fun–and they are a great reason why the film doesn’t completely fall apart.
I had such high expectations for The King’s Man, but it fails to live up to the expectations that I had for it. What sells me on the film, however, and keeps it interesting, is the fact that there is a level of intellect present throughout the story. You have to have a general understanding of history (specifically WWI) to understand The King’s Man, and without it much of the narrative will be lost on you. The intensity that once existed throughout this series is diluted as a result of this installment–and that’s a terrible thing for fans of the franchise. I certainly won’t turn my nose up to another film (because we know they are on the way), but my expectations may be a little more realistic in the future as a result of this less-than-successful experiment.
Directed by Matthew Vaughn.
Written by Matthew Vaughn, Karl Gajdusek, Mark Miller, & Dave Gibbons.
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Harris Dickinson, Djimon Hounsou, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, Alexandra Maria Lara, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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