It's clear that Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, Elton John and Julianne Moore were all having the time of their lives filming this. The movie's over-the-top style, which did well at capturing the spirit of the first film, allowed them all to have fun with their characters. However, when a more serious scene presented itself, like when Merlin had to sacrifice himself or when Harry revealed that he had felt like he was leaving nothing behind when Valentine shot him in the previous film, they still brought the heart and emotional weight needed to convey what the characters were going through. From a character standpoint, my favourite scene was when Eggsy managed to remind Harry of who he was. That was a very touching scene that brought a smile to my face and showed that, while this film is mostly just meant to be an over-the-top action comedy, it still knew when to tone it down and allow us to appreciate the bonds between the characters.
I thought bringing Colin Firth back was a bit risky since Harry got shot in the head in the first film but their explanation for the healing of his head wound, although rushed, was at least brought back again later rather than just shoved into the film for convenience and then abandoned. Too bad it was applied to one of the films villains. What did slightly bother me about Harry's resurrection is how and why Halle Berry's character (by the way, that woman looks damn good for her age) even found and bothered to bring him back in the first place. But overall, it doesn't matter. Colin Firth brought back the dashing Kingsman agent but added a layer of vulnerability to him that we didn't see in the previous film.
Julianne Moore, another woman who is aging well, is mostly known for her skills as a dramatic actress but this movie showed that she can also be balls to the wall psychotic. Poppy Adams was a complete psychopath who could do terrible things with a smile on her face and was clearly having tremendous fun being the villain. I also liked the jab they made to corrupt politicians with the scumbag president.
Overall, this is a good sequel. Not perfect but clearly the performers were enjoying themselves so it's easy to enjoy it along with them.
I thought bringing Colin Firth back was a bit risky since Harry got shot in the head in the first film but their explanation for the healing of his head wound, although rushed, was at least brought back again later rather than just shoved into the film for convenience and then abandoned. Too bad it was applied to one of the films villains. What did slightly bother me about Harry's resurrection is how and why Halle Berry's character (by the way, that woman looks damn good for her age) even found and bothered to bring him back in the first place. But overall, it doesn't matter. Colin Firth brought back the dashing Kingsman agent but added a layer of vulnerability to him that we didn't see in the previous film.
Julianne Moore, another woman who is aging well, is mostly known for her skills as a dramatic actress but this movie showed that she can also be balls to the wall psychotic. Poppy Adams was a complete psychopath who could do terrible things with a smile on her face and was clearly having tremendous fun being the villain. I also liked the jab they made to corrupt politicians with the scumbag president.
Overall, this is a good sequel. Not perfect but clearly the performers were enjoying themselves so it's easy to enjoy it along with them.