The Kingsman franchise helped to revive a genre that had gone neglected for years. Its movies take the best bits of spy parodies and twists them into something brand new. Smooth spies wielding ridiculous gadgets brings back memories of classic Bond films. The fast-paced fight scenes leave audiences stunned. These elements are tied together with a healthy dose of comedy. None of this is enough to guarantee these films first place, though.
A long list of movies defined the spy parody genre before the idea for Kingsman was ever conceived. They deserve respect for their originality and bonus points for execution. Beating out the classics is a challenging task. Let’s see how Kingsman fares against the competition.
Perfect: Incredible Fight Scenes
No film does fight scenes like Kingsman. Expert choreography and impossible physics make brutal battles feel like dances. Extreme violence is offset by a comedic lilt. Kingsman transcends the low standard parody movies have set for fight sequences. Spy parody protagonists often make it throughout the whole film without throwing a solid punch. Moves are choreographed for laughs and not for action.
The complex church scene took a week and a half to film alone - filming that began after Colin Firth completed months of training for the scene. This resulted in the most memorable moment of the entire movie.
Alternative: Austin Powers
The Austin Powers franchise is pure comedy. Every plot point leads to a silly punchline. There are no fancy special effects or masterful shots. All energy went into crafting the iconic jokes that are still referenced today. This franchise knows exactly what it's about and that's what makes it easy to enjoy.
The Kingsman movies have caught heat for the way they toe the line between genuine spy movie attempts and parodies that mock such attempts. Fighting for favor in two categories has caused them to suffer in both. Meanwhile, Austin Powers accepts its place in just one category as the spy parody king.
Perfect: Hilarious Jokes Keep It Light
A cast of gentleman spies doesn't mean crass humor is off-limits. Newbies, like Eggsy, get dibs on sex jokes and edgy one-liners. His inelegance among the seasoned spies creates a comedic juxtaposition.
Contrast leads to comedy for Valentine’s character, too. The genius’s lisp and juvenile vocabulary make everything he says funny. That leaves Harry Hart to amuse the audience with his reactions to his idiotic costars. Additional moments of humor slip into the action scenes in the form of over-the-top violence.
Alternative: Johnny English
Johnny English and Kingsman share the same plot foundation. The death of an agent calls for new recruits. Eggsy and Johnny English are both unlikely heroes invited to fill the sudden vacancy.
The similarities end when it’s revealed that English is a bumbling idiot who only ever succeeds by accident. He doesn’t incapacitate his enemies with a series of gravity-defying stunts. It instead comes down to luck. This opens the movie up for more comedic opportunities, while Kingsman is forced to find a balance between what's cool and what's funny.
Perfect: Its Thoughtful Storyline Is An Extra Treat
A genre based on mocking overused tropes doesn’t demand a compelling plot. The creators of Kingsman crafted one anyway. Eggsy, an ordinary kid from a humble background, is easy to root for. Yet the story doesn’t guarantee his success. Pivotal scenes are dressed up with the appropriate amount of tension, rather than being sacrificed for cheap laughs.
There is little humor when he’s asked to execute his pet dog for example. Eggsy’s refusal to do so cements his lovable identity. Viewers are also made to anticipate Valentine’s fall, regardless of the merits of his evil plan.
Alternative: OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies
Kingsman has been criticized for the questionable sex jokes that make it into each of its films. OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies succeeds at crass humor where Kingsman fails. Its lead character is Agent OSS 117, a man that oozes the kind of charisma and confidence associated with his profession. He would be the perfect spy if he didn’t insult everyone he met.
OSS 117 is a racist, misogynistic homophobe and that’s the joke. Yet reviewers took far less offense when it came to this film. OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies succeeds here because plot points don’t depend on its protagonist’s strict moral code.
Perfect: Fantastical Gadgets
Director Matthew Vaughn stated that the central idea behind Kingsman was to do something fun. Fun, as in spies that hide out in the back of a tailor shop and briefcases that shoot bullets. Mind control via cell phone and umbrellas that double as ballistic shields work, too.
Half of the gadgets used in the Kingsman franchise make no sense. Its the cartoonish nature of these weapons that makes their use so entertaining. Their concepts are ridiculous and their applications are plain awesome.
Alternative: Top Secret!
There’s a stark absence of gore in the cold war film Top Secret! The peak point of violence is when guards take turns slapping Agent Rivers in the mildest torture scene ever. The decision to limit violence in a post-war film about spies adds to the movie's intentional ridiculousness.
Agent Rivers is a rock star who doubles as a spy. He dances his way through every conflict. Any possible tension is defused by sudden song breaks. Top Secret! subverts expectations of brutal killings and tense fight scenes. Where Kingsman is ultraviolent, Top Secret! is ultratame.
Perfect: Great Villains
Samuel L. Jackson fills the crazy category with a Bond villain caricature named Richmond Valentine. Valentine is a tech genius dressed in kids' clothes. All of his evil plans are spoken with a lisp. He is balanced by his much cooler sidekick, Gazelle.
This fearsome character uses the blades of her prosthetic legs to slice enemies in half. Her scenes could be cut into an actual James Bond movie without drawing suspicion. The inclusion of these contrasting enemies keeps the movie from becoming too silly or too serious.
Alternative: Archer
Archer changes the game by making its central character, Sterling, an outrageous antihero. He goes beyond the usual archetype of the inept spy who avoids death by coincidence. Sterling is a villain. His selfishness causes him to undermine the efforts of anyone who bothers trying to complete a mission. The character is meant to be disliked. That makes Archer the polar opposite of Eggsy .
This parody deserves recognition for originality too. It’s a series instead of a movie and it takes the form of a cartoon. These characteristics make it a breath of fresh air in a cluttered genre.