Geheime Anfänge

Geeks on the trail of a serial killer. What Kick-Ass is for comics, Kingsman is for Bond movies, which is what his movie, a dark thriller turned into a comic-book flick, strives to be. The filmmakers adore Unbreakable, Saw, Seven, buddy crime stories, comics and cosplay culture and are not afraid to show it - really SHOW it - in every single minute of the running time. It is excessive. Moderation means nothing to them. So, the movie pits light elements of geek pop culture against the darkness a lot. But not too much, as this is a deliberate parody. It tries to keep this storyline on a kind of serious conscious level. The subversive element comes mainly in the form of the geekiness of everything Spanish, which is unfortunately really annoying, such as Jack Black or occasional attempts at catch phrases (subsequently always half-heartedly explained for those who aren't in the know). Making such a clash of styles (geek comedy, dark thriller and origin story) work together hand in hand really requires some of the “Korean" art of mixing completely unrelated genres together. Which the filmmakers failed to do, terribly. They don't stick to the structure of any of those genres; for a while they're funny, for a while they're dark, for a while it's like a buddy movie about an incompatible couple forced to work together, while at other times a hero is born, then it tries to make a would-be shocking disclosure, with emotions thrown in. It's a mess. As a result, it's neither dark, nor funny, nor heroic, and not subversive at all. Unfortunately, it's not even unintentionally ridiculous. It's just slow and stupid. (28.08.2020)