Kingsman: The Secret Service - Film Review

Director: Matthew Vaughn   Starring: Colin Firth, Samuel L Jackson, Taron Egerton   Genre: Spy-action comedy

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self"

Colin Firth's new movie Kingsman: The Secret Service is James Bond meets Kick-Ass meets... Eastenders (literally, Ronnie Mitchell is actually in it)

This wasn't the only element of the film that I found surprising: Welshman Egerton hides behind a thick cockney accent as the young male spy Eggsy, Mark Strong actually plays the good guy and I left the theatre thinking Colin Firth was actually quite.. cool.

Council estate kid Eggsy (Egerton) is recruited by top spy Harry Hart (Firth) to become a new member of the secret service Kingsman (hiding in plain sight as a tailors). When the villainous Valentine (Jackson) threatens world genocide the Kingsmen must work together to stop him.

However, this is not your typical Billy Elliot-style working-class boy overcomes societies constraints to succeed those born "with a silver spoon up their arse". It focuses more on moral lessons of attitude and self worth. 

Like other Matthew Vaughn films (Kick-Ass and X Men: Days of Future Past) there is a much respected injection of comedy into the otherwise 'serious' genre. Samuel L Jackson is ingenious as the global warming-concerned villain. With his 'dope' vocab and lisp I'm left wondering if there is anything he can't do.

From the creatively sequenced fight scenes that involve an extremely high-tech umbrella and fantastical gadgets such as poison fountain pens, grenade lighters and bladed shoes to heads exploding like fireworks; the visual spectacle of the film is something in it's own right. Even the female villain Gazelle has an impressive pair of bladed prosthetic legs and insane martial art skills that make her literally terrifying.

A good mix of humour, heart, intensity and good old bloody fantastic spy antics, Kingsman is a highly enjoyable watch.

If anything it's worth watching to see Firth utter: "I'm a Catholic whore [...] Hail Satan and have a lovely afternoon".  

TEENAGE DIRTBAG: The 90's Teen phenomenon

What happens when you take a dash of Jock, a pinch of cheerleader, stir in some misfits, firmly whisk in some guy-bets-guy plot twist and set in the sunny surroundings of an American High School with an extra serving of cheese?

The archetypal 90's Teen Movie.

These fundamental ingredients are what formed a majority of nineties films. Whether it be through a house party setting complete with red plastic cups and sound systems or the blasting of Third Eye Blind and 'The Rockafella Skank' by Fatboy Slim, these 'hangovers' of 80's teen films encapsulated the trials and tribulations of dating, awkward teenage sexual endeavors and the struggles of fitting in.

The social hierarchy of American High Schools was essential to 90's teen movies. Heightened stereotypes and situations that often involved the introduction of an 'outsider' into a crew of 'popular kids' were familiar themes along with character makeover, romantic complications and socially awkward encounters.

Clueless (1995) was the first of the quintessential American-High-School films with The Muff's 'Kids of America' blaring over establishing shots of school grounds complete with US flags and yellow school buses.

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It sparked a whole wave of teen movies and is now regarded as a cult film in its own right (note: Iggy Azalea's music video for 'Fancy' is a pretty impressive homage). Cher (Alicia Silverstone) was the epitome of the desired stereotype: a pretty, wealthy, popular girl who always had her way.

Standardized plots such as: 'geek gets the girl'; 'Prom Queen is disgraced' and 'The popular guys choice between his mates and his new love interest' (the ultimate bros before hoes) provided the make-up for 90's teen films.

She's All That (1999) is the typical Jock-bets-he-can-date-any-girl-chooses-the-geek-ends-up-falling-for-her-and-it-all-goes-tits-up-when-she-finds-out film.

School president and Jock Zak (Freddie Prinze Jr.) is dumped by his 'every girl wants to be her and every guy wants to nail her' girlfriend Taylor Vaughn and is propositioned by his buddies to replace her by turning Arty geek Laney (Rachel Leigh Cook) into the Prom Queen.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) the modern re-working of Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew' is another prime example of nieve, horny teenagers making business deals with each other for the attention of girls. 

Popular girl Bianca is not allowed to date until her 'head case' of a sister Kat (Julia Stiles) does. A baby-faced Joseph Gordon-Levitt approaches a mysterious foreign guy (Heath Ledger) to date Kat in exchange for money, simultaneously double-crossing the schools 'big guy' Joey.

American Pie (1999) was paramount for this particular 'genre' as it spawned an entire plethora of slap-stick comedies and has become a cultural phenomenon. 

Whats so unique about these specific films (and other along a similar ilk) is simply there... American-ness. 90's teen films played a massive role in consolidating a vibrant representation of American youth culture. Everything from the fashion, the cars, the music and even the food is forceful in its 'Americanism'.

'MURICA