One of the best sequels of recent years, although The Golden Circle may not have the same element of surprise that The Secret Service had, this second Kingsman film has lost none of the humour, creativity or sense of fun that the first outing had.

Premise: One year after saving the world, Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is now a fully-fledged Kingsman agent. But an encounter with former Kingsman trainee Charlie (Edward Holcroft) signals the start of a coordinated attack by Poppy Adams (Julianne Moore) that forces Kingsman to turn to its American counterpart, Statesman.

Review:

Kingsman: The Secret Service was a fantastic film (in fact, it was my second favourite film of 2015), but I couldn’t help but worry that its sequel wouldn’t be able to live up to the high bar set by the original. The first film managed to be funny, but without becoming a parody; it was violent, but with a playful sense of fun; it was ridiculous, but without losing its sense of real jeopardy. On top of all that, it also had something real to say about class, privilege and prejudice – and even the megalomaniac villain’s OTT masterplan was a commentary on the potentially irreversible damage mankind is causing to the planet. So how on Earth could Kingsman: The Golden Circle follow that?

The answer was to find a near-perfect balance between matching the tone and feel of The Secret Service, while also finding a story that feels like a fresh and natural continuation of the first film rather than a retread of it. Matthew Vaughn and writing partner Jane Goldman continue their unbroken run of fantastic films – and to be honest, Stardust, Kick-Ass and the two Kingsman films are four of my favourite films of the last decade.

“…the hyper-stylised, frenetic action is unlike anything you’ll see elsewhere…”

The Golden Circle opens with a breathtakingly ambitious action sequence that sees Eggsy (Taron Egerton) battling Charlie (Edward Holcroft) – returning from his appearance in The Secret Service, but now sporting a formidable robotic arm – and a squad of machine-gun-toting henchmen, during a high-speed car chase through the streets of central London. It’s so gloriously over-the-top and fun that it serves as a statement of intent for the whole film, and the hyper-stylised, frenetic action is unlike anything you’ll see elsewhere – as the camera swirls around the action in a faux-one-take shot, it’s far more impressive than the quick-cut approach to editing action scenes that is used in most Hollywood films these days.

While the Bond franchise has been improved during Daniel Craig’s era by trying to become more grounded (taking its lead, no doubt, from the Bourne series) and Austin Powers was a spoof of the spy-films of the 60s and 70s, Kingsman has managed to find the sweet-spot between the two. As well as recapturing the sense of fun and adventure that’s arguably been lost by the modern spy-films, the Kingsman films also have real emotional stakes, meaning that although incredibly funny, they never become out and out comedies.

“…Taron Egerton makes the step up from supporting actor to lead without breaking a sweat…”

One of Matthew Vaughn’s particular skills is talent spotting – he gave Daniel Craig his first leading role, before going on to give big breaks to Charlie Cox, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender. In The Secret Service, Matthew Vaughn’s big find was Taron Egerton, and in The Golden Circle Taron Egerton makes the step up from supporting actor to lead without breaking a sweat. Taron Egerton is such a versatile actor, he not only captures the two sides of Eggsy’s personality (kid from the council estate, and super-suave gentleman spy), he also adds layers of subtlety to the character, displaying a natural affinity for comedy, action and drama alike.

The supporting cast is the film’s other secret weapon, with not one, not two, but five Oscar winners making appearances. Following Samuel L. Jackson’s Richmond Valentine as the “colourful megalomaniac” (to quote Harry Hart from the first film) was never going to be easy, but Julianne Moore’s cheerfully psychopathic drug kingpin Poppy Adams manages to capture the same sense larger-than-life theatricality and eccentricity. I won’t give away the details of her masterplan, but it is fair to say that, just like Valentine’s plan to “save the planet”, there is a twisted logic to Poppy’s ultimate goal.

“…recaptures the tone and spirit of the first film…”

The other new characters are mainly the members of Statesman, the US cousin of Kingsman. Halle Berry and Pedro Pascal probably get the most to do as agents Ginger Ale and Whiskey, but Jeff Bridges and Channing Tatum make an impression as agents “Champ”/Champagne and Tequila, despite their more limited screen time. Most, if not all, of the surviving cast from The Secret Service return for The Golden Circle, including Colin Firth as the presumed-dead Harry Hart (it can’t be considered a spoiler if it’s on the movie poster!), and Mark Strong as Merlin, who once again is arguably the glue that holds the whole film together.

All in all, if you enjoyed the first Kingsman film, you’re almost certain to find The Golden Circle equally enjoyable – it recaptures the tone and spirit of The Secret Service, but is different enough to stand on its own two feet. And how can you not love a film that has robotic attack dogs, a 50s style diner hidden in the Cambodian jungle, and Sir Elton John playing Sir Elton John?

To quote Harry Hart from the first film one final time: