Being a dad, I don’t have the luxury to see movies on a regular basis. I can count the number of flicks I sat through at the theater on one hand in the last year since my son was born. But one movie that I was lucky to check out recently was Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service based on the comic series called The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons.
I’ve always been a fan of comic books turned into movies and this Kick-Ass-esque flick did not disappoint. It had the Matthew Vaughn hyper-intense fight sequences and gore that borderlined a little on the too intense side but he did well with Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons’ property. The playfulness the characters had referring to the spy and secret agent genre was not only fun but downright on the nose. And how Vaughn introduced us to the world of the Kingsman was relevant and perfectly paced. At the end of the movie, I wanted more!
Personally, the way the plot, character development, and the violence was weaved into this 2-hour length movie was impressive. It didn’t even feel like a 2-hour movie! It’s been awhile since I’ve sat through a movie and had a smile from ear-to-ear at every scene. Plus, with big name actors like Colin Firth, Michael Caine, and Samuel L. Jackson, the amount of star power in this movie is bursting at the seams of their double-breasted suits.
Now, I haven’t picked up the 6-issue trade yet but the movie thoroughly motivated me to put in an Amazon order right away. You should, too, by clicking here. Don’t worry, I’ll wait. Ok, back to it! Plus, this is a great way for people to get into comics. Just like how Marvel is doing it, they give enough visual stimulation to the viewer that entices them to check out the other stories of the characters they just saw on the silver screen. And what’s nice is there are a lot of source material for everyone to check out in between movies.
But as a disclaimer to all, often times movie adaptations are loosely based on the source material, just compare the printed works and movies like The Dark Knight, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and even Iron Man 3 which is based on the Iron Man story Extremis. From my initial look at the The Secret Service printed works, the movie had some liberties but it’s not stopping me from checking them out.
Does this get Shortboxed?
Speaking solely on the movie adaptation of the printed work, hell yes! It’s a nice breathe of fresh air incorporating comedy and a little fun in the world of trained spies and megalomaniacs. And, it can stand alone amongst powerhouse franchises like James Bond, The Bourne series, and Mission: Impossible. Plus, the foundation is set to build on this movie for future installments. This fan would love that especially if it keeps pairing Matthew Vaughn and Mark Millar. And Vaughn did say in an interview that this was meant to be the beginning of a franchise. So fingers crossed!
All I have to ask is are you ready to become a Kingsman Knight?
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