The King’s Man is heading to theaters this holiday season and is a wildly fun time. But can you expect anything less from a Matthew Vaughn film at this point? I myself gave it a 3.5/5 rating because whatever it is about this franchise, it has gotten its hooks in me and refuses to let go. While many have pointed out faults in Golden Circle and even this film, I think they’re all a fun world to explore, and I’m glad we keep going back to them.
In preparation for the release of The King’s Man, I got to ask a question for some of the cast. At the press conference, I brought up the fact that this series is not only a commentary on the spy genre but also a testament to Matthew Vaughn as a creator.
“I think it’s unpredictability,” Ralph Fiennes said in response to my question. “Because people think they’re getting some sort of spy genre, there’s a bit of James Bond, a bit of that British TV series The Avengers but it’s not that. I think the great thing is that you do not know what is going to happen because Matthew is continually surprising you. For me, it’s the total unpredictability.”
Rhys Ifans, who plays Rasputin in the film, went on to say that the “key to it all is Matthew Vaughn,” and he’s right. The series, as a whole, is fascinating because of the world that Vaughn created and his unique style in which he films these fight sequences. “I think Kingsman fans or otherwise don’t expect to be satisfied, necessarily, from a Matthew Vaughn film. They expect to be surprised as well as satisfied.”
Harris Dickinson also commented on how “shocking” the films are. “Matthew creates these wonderfully memorable moments,” Dickinson said, to which co-star Djimon Hounsou revealed that Vaughn left him with his own backstory: “So it was a great relationship that he brought into that time period that is often forgotten and those soldiers are also forgotten.”
Gemma Arterton, Polly in The King’s Man, also brought up the sense of fun that the movies have: “I think even though this film has some more serious moments, some heartbreaking moments, I love that uniquely British thing of a little bit of eccentricity and zaniness that is very inherently British.”
For me, The Kingsman franchise is just something that is so Matthew Vaughn and out of this world that works so well for what he’s trying to say with his films, and hearing the cast all express their excitement about The King’s Man, while also talking about the larger spy world that Vaughn has created, is wonderfully fun and should have fans excited for the future of the franchise.
The King’s Man is out in theaters this December 22nd.
(image: 20th Century)
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