
First, I need to admit something to you all. Apparently, I’m old school because in today’s “new normal” world, after the onslaught of the pandemic, I’ve noticed a huge increase in movie trailers and commercials for movies being released straight to streaming venues. Nothing wrong with that, but I’d rather have the movie released to theaters, thus old school. Unless you are a gazillionaire and have an actual movie theater in your home, home theater setups can come close but it’s just not the same as watching a film on the big screen in a theater surrounded by movie fans. It truly is part of the whole movie watching experience. Having said all that, on with this show.
Unfortunately my brain must not be clicking on all cylinders cause even though I knew there was a connection between this movie and the makers of the Kingsman movies, I didn’t think there was a CONNECTION. I’m going to do you all a favor and summarize this review in one sentence for those of you in a hurry. If you watched and enjoyed any of the Kingsman movies, The Secret Service, The Golden Circle, The King’s Man, you will enjoy this one too. If you are not in a rush, then please read on, there’s more to be said.
In case you’re wondering, is the movie funny, yes, not exactly rolling on the floor but there is a good amount of humor with a splash of wit. Is there plenty of action, sure, a la Matthew Vaughn variety, but I wouldn’t call it action packed. There are some “slow” moments. Is the movie silly, most definitely, is it cheesy, yeap, is it cheeky, of course, is it fun, for sure, and ultimately is it entertaining, yes, I say yes it is. The story blurs the line between reality and fiction especially for author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) and her Argylle novels. This is one of the more interesting aspects of the story. Speaking of Bryce, we get to see her in quite a different light in this film, totally unexpected but cool. The cast as a whole is pretty impressive and although many of them are brief roles and/or nothing-to-write-home-about performances, it was nice to see their faces associated to this campy film. Honorable mentions: Dua Lipa looked amazing and was believable, Henry Cavill was corny but appropriately so, Bryan Cranston as always, I wanted more Ariana DeBose, and Sam Rockwell never ever disappoints. For a movie like this, the characters being played have to be over the top of course. Most aspects of the film do as well, such as the head bobbing soundtrack, the cinematography, and the action scenes are just ridiculous. Oh and that backpack, wow, and Alfie the cat was one of the stars of the show in his own right. The CGI in this movie though, was underwhelming, but then again, maybe that’s on purpose. Director Matthew Vaughn has quite a collection under his belt and I for one admire his remaining true to himself and his style. This film falls right in line.