The King's Man - The Beginning

If all those amazing visual ideas, the surprisingly resolved situations and the sweetly over-the-top humour were wrapped in something called a meaningful plot and not a twisted alternate reality pulled out of someone’s ass like from the pen of a drunken Vondruška, I'd be happy. Give Vaughn the next Bond movie, really, the guy's got it. (31.03.2022)

I like Matthew Vaughn and I will continue to like him, but I can't really enjoy this prequel to Kingsman. On one hand, I have to praise the action, which, however, cannot surprise anyone, including myself – Vaughn has a talent for it. And at least the dance fight with Rasputin is truly applause-worthy. He also manages to sell a century-old past full of gentlemen, lunatics, funny cars, and the end of an era. But about the rest? That's exactly what I don't really know. It still looks nice, it has a fast pace and I wasn't bored, but that's not enough for me when it comes to Vaughn. The story surprises at most with its absurd twists, but due to the use of real historical events, it fails to build tension because – unsurprisingly – Austria-Hungary doesn't end up winning World War I. So, it's not very thrilling and, unfortunately, not even funny or bold like the first installment. The King’s Man the weakest of Vaughn's films. And above all, it’s quite unnecessary. (05.01.2022)

I freaking loved it! I finally got to see the film and after the mixed reviews, I have to say that I am absolutely satisfied and with only minor reservations. The first Kingsman is one my top 10 movies of all time, so of course I love the whole franchise, it's pretty close to my heart and setting it in WWI was a great idea. Matthew Vaughn is a director with a distinctive style and I enjoy his playful and creative direction immensely, definitely the direction I would go in if I were a director. The characters this time may not be as likable as in the original, Harris Dickinson is no Taron Egerton, and Ralph Fiennes is not as good as Colin Firth, but I could live with that. Visually, the film is again driven to technical perfection and absolute refinement, Vaughn's alternate history fascinated me (despite being obviously fiction, it felt believable and entertaining and the cameos by well-known historical figures were great). You have to wait a bit longer for the action, but once it comes, the director once again had me wrapped up around all his fingers. The action is always varied, well shot, insanely stylish to the point of being luxurious, and I'm tempted to do it all again after watching it. A crazy dance with Rasputin, a downright delicious fight with various combat weapons in the trenches (that had me screaming like a bitch), one of my new favorite action scenes, and then of course the half hour screaming finale that has everything I expect from a proper ending. It's a little disappointing that this time Vaughn tamed the gore and didn't add much humour either, but he pretty much made up for it with an uncompromising twist that no one expects. The villains also deserve praise (Rasputin was brilliant) and I found the whole spy story against the backdrop of WWI very entertaining and thoroughly developed. A few people complain about how slow it is, but I found it more brisk and action packed than The Batman, so high satisfaction for me, I could handle an extra 30 minutes. Story 4/5, Action 5/5, Humor 3/5, Violence 3/5, Fun 5/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 5/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 2/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 4/5. 9/10. (14.03.2022)

Somehow it just isn’t what it used to be. Setting it in the World War I gave it a more earthy feel, but Vaughn just isn’t trying as hard anymore. While the first part was overflowing with visual finesse and sly jabs, this movie is mostly serious. But the story has a couple of interesting twists and hats off to the respect for historical events, but if it weren’t for Rasputin, there would be nothing to praise. And of course we know how the Great War ended up and it’s unreasonable to expect the opposite from Tarantino here. (15.02.2022)

If the script of the third Kingsman was a bit better than horrible, it could have been a solid ride, because Vaughn is able to reflect the contemporary political situation through his specific craft, he wittily alternates recent history and is not afraid to use subtle and daring humour and a distinctive directorial style to appeal to a wide range of audiences. In this respect, it’s perfect, but we want more from a film like this than ironed-out visuals with a plethora of familiar faces in the breakneck action scenes, which are good and some even fantastic. (03.05.2022)

The somewhat misleading trailers, Matthew Vaughn's reputation, and especially what he did in the first two films, set the stage for another frantic action flick, just set a hundred years earlier. But there was a surprise in the cinema – a very pleasant one for me. Apparently, Vaughn decided that the story of the birth of the Kingsman Agency would be just as much the birth of his unmistakable directorial style, and that's a million dollar idea. This makes The King's Man a surprisingly subdued film for a good while, one that cares about the characters, and when it comes to action, it's good but deliberately keeps a low profile. Vaughn seems to be discovering that frantic style himself with each passing scene, while the heroes unravel a giant conspiracy in a story full of twists and turns (including a truly shocking one) and gather typical Kingsman attributes to become the King's Men in the final three-quarters of an hour. Vaughn got unleashed, started slowing down shots, put the camera on wings and swords, fiddled with shots (my favourite is the duel of silhouettes against the backdrop of the movie screen with the turmoil of war) and simply kept giving the audience what they were waiting for. For some the wait will be long, but others will be royally entertained. (12.01.2022)

The King's Man - The Beginning  ist nichts anderes als eine Reihe zufälliger Szenen in einer sehr verschwommenen Parallele zu historischen Ereignissen. Szenen, die dem Zuschauer genug visuelle Reize und WTF Momente bieten, damit er nicht darüber nachdenken muss, wie belanglos und sinnlos die Handlung ist. Und die Enthüllung des Hauptbösewichts als riesige Überraschung präsentiert (die der Zuschauer bereits in der fünften Minute des Films errät), das hier kann Matthew Vaughn wohl kaum ernst gemeint haben. (04.02.2022)

Wenn man nicht sequentiell vorgehen will, scheint ein Prequel (fast) immer eine frische Idee zu sein - und The King's Man - The Beginning setzt auf diese Idee. Die Geschichte im Ersten Weltkrieg anzusiedeln, war angesichts der Art des Films sicherlich eine Option, und Vaughn hat sie begeistert aufgegriffen. Das dritte Kingsman-Abenteuer ist definitiv nichts für Liebhaber der exakten Geschichte - was ich zum Glück nicht bin. Eine Reihe historischer Figuren taucht in dem Film auf, aber sie bekommen eine ganz neue Dimension - Rasputin könnte noch viel mehr davon erzählen - und Vaughn gelingt es, ihre unkonventionellen Konzepte auf humorvolle Weise zu nutzen. Die Identität des Hauptbösewichts ist fast von Anfang an klar, doch wird dies durch den eher unerwarteten Tod einer der Hauptfiguren ausgeglichen. The Beginning hat zwar ein paar Stellen, die zu weit gehen, aber ich hatte trotzdem Spaß im Kino und habe die Anfänge der modernen "Ritter der Tafelrunde" mit Spannung verfolgt. P. S. Bei mehr als einem Fiennes-Schrei musste ich unweigerlich an Voldemort denken, als er den Schutzschild von Hogwarts zerstörte. (07.01.2022)

I'm somewhat puzzled about my rating for this movie because there are a few potential reasons behind it. It could be that I wasn't in the right mood, or perhaps Matthew Vaughn isn't what he used to be (though I'm reluctant to believe that), or maybe the spy genre is just becoming a bit worn out. Whatever the case, this third glimpse into the world of the most secretive of secret services didn't quite captivate me as its predecessors did, and the third star was mainly earned by the stellar cast. I did find it amusing how the plot included numerous historical figures, but the story itself felt afflicted with acute clichés and excessive melodrama. The main plotline was painfully predictable, and the film's runtime seemed overly long for what it offered. I found myself getting quite bored during some stretched-out parts; even the highly anticipated sword-fighting at the end felt like it could have been trimmed down. Overall, I was left wanting more from this movie. / Lesson learned: There's always a Scot behind everything. 3*- (01.03.2022)

It's far from the genius of the first one and it's not as megalomaniacal or over-the-top as the second one, yet still is overwhelmingly a disappointment. It's crazy fun at individual points (the bit with Rasputin and the trench sequences are pure delight), but the whole comes across as rather wild and disorganized (not in a good way, unfortunately). It is, of course, absolutely flawlessly and confidently filmed, but what does it matter when it still turns out to be the weakest installment in the series. Gemma Arterton was great and woefully underused. I expected a lot more and even IMAX didn't save it. [65%] (17.01.2022)

Abgesehen vom berühmten Namen des Schneidersalons hat dieser Teil nur wenig mit der bisherigen Serie gemeinsam. Vielmehr würde ich es so verstehen, dass nur die vorherigen 2 Kassenschlager Filme Vaughn erlaubten, seine Traumversion des 1. Weltkrieges zu erzählen. Das Einzige, was er sich ausdenken musste, war wie er es unter die Marke "Kingsman" bringen konnte. Insgesamt hat das Prequel einen ernsteren Ton, und der Humor resultiert hier eher aus dem spielen mit der Geschichte als aus verschiedenem Firlefanz, mit dem der The Golden Circle vollgepackt war. Ralph Fiennes passt perfekt in dieses ernstere Konzept. Hauptsächlich er treibt den Film voran, auch an den Stellen, wo das Drehbuch etwas hardert. The King's Man - The Beginning ist bei Weitem nicht makellos, aber er kann im richtigen Moment handlungstechnisch durchaus überraschen, die Action ist mitreißend, das Setting blendend, und man sieht, dass alle Beteiligten, vom Waffendesigner bis zu bekannten Gesichtern in Cameos, während der Dreharbeiten eine tolle Zeit hatten. (02.01.2022)