Kingsmen: The Golden Circle is a movie that I wasn’t sure that I really wanted to see.  I enjoyed the first movie, which surprised me as I had expected it to be another generic action movie.  The first movie was witty and had some surprisingly insightful moments of introspection.  Eggsy was a fun character who we could genuinely like as a decent human being.

I didn’t want to see that ruined with a throw-away sequel… and that’s generally what I expect when a movie like that gets a sequel.  But I was wrong.  If anything, The Golden Circle is an improvement on the first movie.  Eggsy isn’t just the low-class version of James Bond… he’s a better version.   One scene in particular stamped him and also transformed the way you see him from the first movie, where they had some throw-away humor that has now come full circle.

As far as the action, it’s just as over-the-top as the first movie.  The CGI can get a bit old, especially when the baddies are firing fully automatic weapons in downtown London without seeming to cause any secondary damage, but I’ll let that slide, because they make you care about the characters.  They put the extra effort in so that you can understand their motivations.  The good guys are human, and they are put into circumstances that can require them to do things they don’t want to do.  The main villain is absolutely psychotic, with an introductory scene that, if anything, is a bit too far.

The story has personal touches, it’s not just about the end of the world scenario, it’s also about the people who are important to Eggsy, and they do a great job making the audience care about those people, too.  I have two minor complaints about the movie, and both of them are so closely tied into the plot that they’re major spoilers that I can’t go into them.  Neither of them were deal-breaking, I came away from the movie satisfied, entertained, and importantly, wanting more.  I want there to be a sequel, I want to see what happens next with Eggsy.

If you haven’t seen it, go out and make time.  It’s fun, engaging, and it has plenty of stuff for you to think about afterwards.