Writer/director Matthew Vaughn and screenwriter Jane Goldman brought the violent, foul-mouthed, citizens of the Kick-Ass universe to the big screen in 2010, resulting in a fresh semi-cult hit comic book movie. In 2015, the duo returns with a film that is based on another comic book world co-created by Mark Millar (as well as Watchmen comic illustrator Dave Gibbons, this time), in Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Kingsman, as illustrated by the above trailer, is a darkly humorous and quirky take on the super-secret spy genre - the James Bond franchise being the obvious target - that recalls the subversiveness of Kick-Ass; though, The Secret Service seems heavier on winking comedy and less the satirical wit found in Vaughn and Goldman's previous Millar comic adaptation. If Kingsman proves less smart than Kick-Ass, though, it could make up the difference with fine-tuned action and close-quarters combat scenes.
Colin Firth stars in Kingsman: The Secret Service as Harry Hart, a deadly member of a secret English spy organization, who attempts to mold a talented, but also unruly and undisciplined, street punk named Gary 'Eggsy' Unwin (Taron Egerton) into an effective covert operative. Samuel L. Jackson costars as the antagonist Valentine - a maniacal tech genius whose latest scheme poses a global threat - as relative newcomer Sophie Cookson plays the female lead, Roxy, a fellow young recruit for the Secret Service.
Kingsman, on the whole, seems to have potential as a stylized, yet also unabashedly silly, take on the secret agent genre - with great action to boot - even though some of the comedy elements have, in my opinion, fallen flat thus far (see: Jackson's lisp). The movie's box office prospects seem to be pretty good too, seeing as it will be serving as counter-programming over next year's Valentine's Day frame - offering a pulpy and action-packed alternative to the more romance-oriented releases that weekend (Fifty Shades of Grey, The Last Five Years).
You can also watch the Kingsman trailer footage in a safe-for-work format (that is to say, without the F-bombs, exploding heads, and partial nudity), by checking out the green-band version of the new preview, included below.
NEXT: Mark Millar on Kingsman & Colin Firth as the Cool James Bond
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Kingsman: The Secret Service opens in U.S. theaters on February 13th, 2015.
Source: IGN