Kingsman: The Secret Service

Sick of spy films being too drab and serious all the time? Well don't fear, Mathew Vaughn has made a fun action spy film for an adult audience, starring Colin Firth as a kick ass secret agent. It's cool, funny and entertaining, read on to find out my full verdict on Kingsman: The Secret Service.

Kingsman follows Eggsy, a character who is recruited into a secret spy agency by Harry Hart, one of the agencies top spy's. Eggsy lives in a South London housing estate and is headed for a life behind bars. Thankfully Harry sees the potential in the youth to help sort his future out with the Kingsmen.

Taron Eggerton plays Eggsy and is pretty much a newbie to the film industry. He is brilliant in Kingsman and plays his character really well. He is set up very quickly as someone you want to route for and will stick that way for the rest of the film. His mentor Harry is played by Colin Firth who is absolutely brilliant and completely steals the film. His mix of cool and badass is something that needs to be witnessed and is thoroughly entertaining to watch. Other actors include Micheal Caine (who is severely underused), Mark Strong (who is always great) and Samuel L Jackson, who provides an amusing performance as the main villain.

I really enjoyed this film, it's a good fun solid action spy flick. As much as it is a spoof of classic spy films it never crosses the line into Austin Powers territory, it has the potential to do its own thing, with a fun plot and comedic characters. I did find parts of it to be cliche and predictable but there are also a few twists to be enjoyed along the way.

The action is really cool and done in a very stylised way that at times feels like a video game (but in a good way), it's very cartoony and keeps in style with the rest of the film. It is a lot of fun to watch. If over the top comic violence is not your thing, this may be one to miss.

I felt the first half of the film was a lot better done than the second. Some of the jokes started to wear thin and the excessive use of bad language started to feel like a shock tactic rather than funny. I never usually have a problem with this in films but I felt that the comedy was definitely pandering to a 'lad' culture which has been occurring for quite some time. That's not to say none of it was funny but some of it was definitely  for different members of the audience rather than myself. At the end of the day this is based on a Mark Millar comic book and after Kick Ass we all know he likes to take the audience out of their comfort zones. This is definitely not for the easily offended.

With these few problems aside, this film is still a great watch and a good time at the cinema. Mathew Vaughn proves again that he is one of the most entertaining film directors around. Kingsman: The Secret Service is good old fashioned spy fun mixed with modern and contemporary characters. I am giving it a rating of 4/5.

What did you think of the film? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Star Wars Episode 7!?

The news broke this morning that Disney have just bought the Lucas Film company and plan to make a new Star Wars film ready for a 2015 release. This of course sparked Internet outrage and as a massive fan of Star Wars I don't know whether to be excited or annoyed at the prospect of a 7th film in the franchise.

A lot of people are complaining that Disney will ruin the franchise but if you ask any major fans they will probably agree that the image of Star Wars was ruined when they released the first prequel. So why would they know go and make a sequel to the original trilogy?

Well for one reason we will no longer have George Lucas involved, or at least not in a directorial or producing role.In fact he is only going to be an outside contributor which kind of means he won't have much input. Which means we can get someone new to create a Star Wars film, including making a script which doesn't have bland and crappy dialogue. Now we can get some new fresh ideas to help restart the franchise and hopefully bring back the glory of when the first 3 films were released.

Where they go with Episode 7 is anyone's guess. Will Mark Hamil reprise his role as an older Luke Skywalker? Probably not. But hopefully Luke will play a background role in the new film, perhaps bringing him alive through the technology they used to create another Jeff Bridges in Tron Legacy. Will any of the original cast be back, who knows? I for one am anticipating where they hope to go with the new film.

In terms of who should be directing, I don't have a clue, there are the obvious choices like Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams, but I doubt that will happen. My guess it could be someone like Jon Favreau or Mathew Vaugn (could this be the reason he left the new X-Men film?). Whoever it is though will have a massive amount of pressure on them to create a Star Wars film that fans and critics alike will enjoy. May the force be with them.

When it comes to the script, I say hire one of the guys who wrote the well reviewed Star Wars novels or comics, surely their ideas would make a lot of sense in the development of the series.

I don't really see why making a new Star Wars film is a bad idea, surely this just help make the franchise live longer and hopefully become one of the biggest ever. I for one feel like a child again at the prospect of seeing another Star Wars film. In fact I am even more excited for 2015 as Disney will have hell of year, what with The Avengers 2 and Star Wars Episode 7. They are sure going to make a load of money! Lets hope both films are of excellent quality as well though.

2 and half years until a new Star Wars film, didn't expect to hear that this morning... What are your thoughts on a new film in the franchise? Please comment below.

Thanks for reading!

Some Kick Ass News!

You may have read the title of this blog thinking that the news I am about to give you is really good, which it is, but it is also about the sequel to one of my favourite films, Kick Ass!

Kick Ass 2 has been thrown around a lot since the release of the first film in 2010. Many people saying it is happening and many more saying the opposite. But writer of the comics and film Mark Millar has confirmed that it has been green lighted and may even start filming this summer! Which I guess would lead to a 2013 release date.

I loved the first film and would love to see a sequel, hopefully all the actors will stay on, including Chloe Grace Mortez who played everyones favourite sweary young superhero, Hit Girl. Though it is not likely that Mathew Vaugn will return in the director chair but Mark Millar hinted at a possible producer role. Although it is unfortunate but lets hope that whoever takes control of the next one that they they maintain the same style of the first one throughout and not add it too the list of awful sequels that have been made in the past! I hope the statements made by Mark Millar are true!

In other sequel news, I am Legend 2 has also been given the green light. I really liked the first film but cannot see the point in a sequel or how they would do one, considering a certain character being killed off in the first! But apparently it could be a prequel or they may continue after an alternative ending which sees this character survive. Either way I preferred it as a stand alone film but we will see what happens next!

More kick ass news, this time not so literal! The Amazing Spider-Man viral site MarkOfTheSpider.com has released a 50 second clip that sees Peter Parker face up against  that intimidating doorman we heard of in the trailer, quite a cool clip that shows off Andrew Garfield's boyish charm and that teenage awkwardness that we were all hoping for from the latest film. Give it a watch here!

And finally, my blog is now available on kindle! So please subscribe if you have one. Here is the link; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alexs-Essential-Movie-Blog/dp/B007B1A1SW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329939444&sr=8-1

Thanks for reading!