Then came The Golden Circle (2017). Director Matthew Vaughn didn’t just raise the stakes; he nuked them.
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Within the first twenty minutes, The Golden Circle commits cinematic patricide. Almost the entire Kingsman organization—including Roxy (Sophie Cookson) and, seemingly, Merlin’s dignity—is wiped out by a single missile strike.
It was bold. It was cruel. And ultimately, it was pointless.
Looking back at the second chapter of the Kingsman saga, the film remains one of the most gloriously unhinged and frustrating blockbusters of the late 2010s. It is a movie of two halves: the first is a masterclass in narrative sabotage; the second is a neon-drenched, drug-fueled romp through Kentucky. film kingsman the golden circle
In an era of sanitized, committee-made sequels, The Golden Circle has the audacity to be weird. It gives us the "Statesman" whiskey tasting scene. It gives us a robotic dog. It gives us a finale set inside a retro diner where a robot dog fights a man in a Savile Row suit while Elton John plays the piano.
But here is the defense:
Where The Secret Service was about class mobility and chivalry, The Golden Circle is about... the War on Drugs. Then came The Golden Circle (2017)
So, is Kingsman: The Golden Circle a bad movie? Parts of it are a mess. The runtime is bloated (2 hours and 21 minutes). The CGI is rubbery. And the resurrection of Harry Hart—complete with a "memory retrieval" involving butterfly exposure and a pint of ale—strains even the comic book logic of the universe.
The Golden Circle isn’t a great film. It’s a hangover movie—loud, excessive, a little regrettable, but strangely fun if you don’t take it too seriously.
Do you prefer the original's tailored precision or the sequel's chaotic excess? Sound off in the comments below. Within the first twenty minutes, The Golden Circle
The plot revolves around Poppy planting poison in all her recreational drugs to force the US President to legalize narcotics. The film tries to have it both ways: it argues that drug users are victims who deserve healthcare, but it also graphically shows the gruesome side effects of addiction (the blue blood melting). It’s a muddled message wrapped in a stylish bow.
Posted by [Your Name] | April 17, 2026