For Kingsman And Country
Starburst Magazine|September 2017

Get Ready To Don Your Best Bespoke Suit Or Frock, Ladies And Gentlemen, Because The World’s Most Well-Dressed Spies (Sorry, Bond) Are Back In Their Second Outing, Kingsman: The Golden Circle…

Christian Bone
For Kingsman And Country

Kingsman: The Secret Service was something of a surprise hit when it landed back in 2015. On the back of a $91 million budget, it earned over $400 million worldwide and a heap of love from critics and moviegoers alike. Sporting a fantastic cast mixing big names like Colin Firth, Michael Caine, and Samuel L. Jackson with rising stars like Taron Egerton and Sofia Boutella, Kingsman was gleefully anarchic, audacious, ultra-violent and occasionally just plain batshit crazy. Spoilers incoming for those who didn’t see it - it’s hard to imagine any other film having the guts to blow the heads off the world’s heads of state and stylise it like a firework display.

Just like the earlier superhero movie Kick-Ass, it saw director Matthew Vaughn once again loosely adapt one of Mark Millar’s series from Icon Comics (a creator-owned imprint of Marvel) to the screen. Likewise, as Kick-Ass both paid homage to and parodied comic book movie conventions, Kingsman was a love letter to old-fashioned James Bond movies but also gave the clichés of the genre an irreverent twist. In an unlikely turn of events, it turned out to be a lot more fun and memorable than that same year’s official Bond movie the muddled misfire that was SPECTRE.

Unsurprisingly, then, the gentlemen spies are back for a second round of fixing their ties while kicking henchmen’s heads in and saving the world from megalomaniacs. As you would expect after the first film, the sequel - which has an upped budget of $140 million this time - won’t just sit on its laurels, but looks to be aiming to be just as funny, bold, and thrilling as its predecessor.

This story is from the September 2017 edition of Starburst Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2017 edition of Starburst Magazine.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM STARBURST MAGAZINEView All
Memoirs Of The Dead
Starburst Magazine

Memoirs Of The Dead

It’s over 40 years since George A. Romero’s seminal zombie sequel DAWN OF THE DEAD first terrorised the planet, forever changing our demeanour when visiting the local shopping mall. On the eve of its latest disinterment - this time in 4K - we spoke to two actors who lived to tell the tale…

time-read
7 mins  |
December 2020
STAND BY FOR SHADO
Starburst Magazine

STAND BY FOR SHADO

This autumn marks the 50th anniversary of Gerry Anderson’s evolution from producing Supermarionation to live-action TV shows with UFO. We take a fond look back on a complex, mature series that took Century 21 Productions to new creative heights…

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2020
SHORT AND TO THE POINT
Starburst Magazine

SHORT AND TO THE POINT

Short films have become a popular staple of film festivals but SHORT SHARP SHOCKS, the 41st release from BFI Flipside, shows us that the format has been used for much more commercial means previously…

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2020
ROAD TO OTAKU
Starburst Magazine

ROAD TO OTAKU

YOUR GATEWAY INTO THE WORLD OF ANIME......WITH YOUR NAVIGATOR, JAMES 'MAGIC PERKINS' PERKINS

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2020
INDEPENDENTS DAY - FC RABBATH
Starburst Magazine

INDEPENDENTS DAY - FC RABBATH

Born in Alexandra, Egypt in October 1986, director/writer FRED ‘FC’ RABBATH has been an inventor, author, comedian, journalist, and all around entrepreneur. He’s also hugely well-travelled thanks to his father’s work, which required Fred to live in several countries before he was even 16. Tirelessly prolific, he has written and directed a string of acclaimed short films and a number of features including Scarlet’s Witch (2014), The Hum (2015), The Movie Extra (2015), and especially A Brilliant Monster (2018), which we described as ‘quirky and highly watchable… a psychological horror/thriller that examines the nature of creativity and the obsessions which drive the creative mind’ He’s back later this year with THE WAITING, a highly unusual and unpredictable ghost story that turns slowly into an unusual romantic fable. We spoke to Fred about his background and his approach to his work in the independent movie sector.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2020
Starburst Magazine

HEART and SOUL

Known for re-shaping the landscape of movies as we know it (not just animated ones), Pixar has respectfully raised the bar with delightful, heartfelt aplomb. From the intense opening segment of Up where no matter how lacking in emotion you think you are, tears will still come running, to the joyous Randy Newman-scored Toy Story moments, to the roaring, superhero family dynamics in The Incredibles, there’s an endless array of remarkable Pixar memories. Even in just these highlighted animated spectacles alone, Pixar has imprinted many sequences into our brains that we will never, ever forget. Everyone has a favourite Pixar character, scene, quote, song, and catchphrase that still evokes something nostalgically magical in them. So, what’s yours?

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2020
TRUTH BE TOLD
Starburst Magazine

TRUTH BE TOLD

Following on from our TRUTH SEEKERS set-visit last issue, we speak with the driving forces behind Prime Video’s excellent new supernatural comedy series, SIMON PEGG, NICK FROST, and SAMSON KAYO...

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2020
Telephemera
Starburst Magazine

Telephemera

ALAN BOON DELVES INTO THE TELEVISION ARCHIVES TO UNEARTH ANOTHER LONG-FORGOTTEN CURIO...

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2020
Starburst Magazine

AN EYE FOR AN EYE

The controversial 1978 film I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE has just been released as part of a 6-disc box set that includes the reboot trilogy, the UK debut of the direct sequel, DÉJÀ VU, and a feature-length documentary GROWING UP WITH I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE. We managed to speak with actors CAMILLE KEATON and JAMIE BERNADETTE as well as the son of the original director, TERRY ZARCHI to find out more about the legendary revenge films…

time-read
9 mins  |
December 2020
telephemera
Starburst Magazine

telephemera

ALAN BOON DELVES INTO THE TELEVISION ARCHIVES TO UNEARTH ANOTHER LONG-FORGOTTEN CURIO...

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2020