After countless delays, The King's Man, the third entry in the fan-favorite Kingsman franchise based on the comic book series of the same name, is finally approaching its theatrical release, but does it live up to expectations? Here's what the first reviews from critics are saying.
The King's Man takes place in the early 1900s and depicts the formation of the spy agency, with stars Ralph Fiennes as Orlando Oxford, Duke of Oxford, and Harris Dickinson as Conrad. The two race against time to stop the gathering of tyrants and criminal masterminds who plot to start a war that will take out millions. Originally set to release in theatres all the way back in November of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed The King's Man over eight times.
With so many delays that have added to the anticipation for the past couple of years, it is unfortunate that The King's Man is opening up to mixed reviews, as it currently has a 43% on Rotten Tomatoes from 35 reviews and a 44 on Metacritic based on 19 reviews. While much of the criticism is pointed towards the film's dull plot and inconsistent tone, if the trailers were any indication, plenty of critics praised the film's over the top, bonkers action sequences.
This is not too surprising considering director Matthew Vaughn's experience creating some of the most unique and thrilling fight scenes in previous Kingsman films. Specifically, the one-shot church fight in the first Kingsman film remains a high bar for the sequels to clear. More initial reactions can be seen below.
Den of Geek (David Crow)
"Believe it or not, the one crucial thing you need to understand about The King's Man is it has the most delightfully batshit fight scene you'll see at the cinema this year. And that, dear reader, is worth the price of admission."
Score: 3/5
Daily Telegraph (UK) (Robbie Collin)
"Its plot and tone each end up zig-zagging manically in the attempt to fulfil both the film's creative ambitions and its duties to the brand."
Score: 2/5
London Evening Standard (Charlotte O'Sullivan)
"In a nutshell, Matthew Vaughn's trilogy has imploded and the fizzy combo of Taron Egerton and Colin Firth is sorely missed."
Score: 2/5
ComicBook.com (Kofi Outlaw)
"The King's Man is better action and team-dynamic fun than we've seen from the Kingsman franchise so far, at the somewhat heavy cost of some overly serious and dark wartime drama."
Score: 2.5/5
Discussing Film (Ben Rolph)
"The King's Man is a worthy prequel that cleverly utilizes its war-set period to establish greater stakes."
Score: 3/5
Whether it succeeds or not, it is exciting to finally see another Kingsman film on the big screen, considering the film's ensemble cast and that it has also been four years since Kingsman: The Golden Circle was released. Vaughn, who has helmed all of the Kingsman films so far, originally planned to shoot The King's Man back-to-back with the third mainline film (Eggsy and Harry Hart), but the pandemic put a halt to things. Currently filming another spy thriller titled Argylle, Vaugh is set to begin production on the original series' third entry (what will be the fourth Kingsman film overall including the prequel), which has been provisionally titled Kingsman: The Blue Blood, sometime in 2022.
The King's Man cast also includes Rhys Ifans as Grigori Rasputin, Gemma Arterton as Polly, Djimon Hounsou as Shola, Matthew Goode as Captain Morton/The Shepherd, Daniel Brühl as Erik Jan Hanussen, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Lee Unwin.
The King's Man will finally be released in theatres on December 22, 2021.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, ComingSoon.net