ROCKETMAN : Tuesday 4th June 2019.

'ROCKETMAN' which I saw this week is a biographical musical film based on the life and times of Sir Elton John (aka Reginald Kenneth Dwight) as Directed by Dexter Fletcher, whose previous film making credits include 'Wild Bill' in 2011, 'Sunshine on Leith' in 2013, 'Eddie the Eagle' in 2016, and an uncredited role as Director on last years 'Bohemian Rhapsody' having replaced Bryan Singer as Director for the final two weeks of filming, but received an Executive Producer credit due to Directors Guild of America rules. An Elton John biopic had been in development for almost two decades, with the project going through several Directors, studios and Actors before Sir Elton finally approached Paramount Pictures. In early 2018 Taron Egerton was cast to play Elton John having previously appeared with Sir Elton in the 2017 film 'Kingsman: The Golden Circle', and Egerton, as Johnny the Gorilla, sang John's song 'I'm Still Standing' in the animated film 'Sing'. The film cost US$41M to bring to the big screen, saw its Premier screening at the Cannes Film Festival on 16th May this year, was released in the UK on 22nd May and was released in the US and here in Australia last week. The film has so far taken US$71M and has generated mostly positive Reviews. The film is titled after Sir Elton's 1972 UK #2 and US #6 hit single of the same name.

The film opens up with a flamboyantly attired Elton John (Taron Egerton) wearing an orange and heavily sequined Devil stage outfit walking hurriedly down a corridor and bursting through the doors of a room wherein, sat in a circle, is a self help group. Welcomed by the others, Elton opens up with a statement of who he is, and that he is an alcoholic, a drug addict, a sex addict and addicted to various other things to help him escape from his fractured childhood upbringing and what he has become, and, that he's bulimic. And so begins in flashback a story of his young years, right up until the time he entered this rehab facility where he currently sits with various others in the same group attempting to come to some understanding of the forces that worked for him and against him to bring him to this point.

As a young child, Reginald 'Reggie' Dwight was raised by his less than loving mother Sheila (Bryce Dallas Howard), his more caring grandmother Ivy (Gemma Jones), while his father Stanley (Steven Mackintosh) was away serving in the Royal Air Force. Reggie shows interest in playing the piano, and seems to possess a natural gift, and soon begins private piano lessons at London's prestigious Royal Academy of Music. Stanley returns home for a two week period of leave, and keeps his son at arms length having never really ever shown him any affection or emotion. Eventually, feeling constricted by his family surroundings and discovering Sheila getting it on with another man in a car, Stanley walks out on his family forever, to forge a new life. Reggie takes up an interest in Rock & Roll music artists such as Elvis Presley, gets a similar haircut to The King, and begins performing in local pubs before joining a band, 'Bluesology'.

As an adult, Reggie changes his name to Elton John (Elton from a fellow Bluesology band member, and John after John Lennon) and responds to an advert in the music press seeking singers, songwriters and musicians with any talent to make contact. This takes him to an appointment with the Dick James Music Publishing Company under the management of Ray Williams (Charlie Rowe). Williams introduces Elton to songwriter Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell). The pair meet up for the first time in a local cafe and quickly form a bond, with Taupin accepting both Elton and his closeted homosexuality. 

The pair are encouraged to move in together so that they can be close to each other to fuel their songwriting output. Taupin moves into the Dwight family home, which creates a strain on the family unit, but nonetheless allows the pair the proximity to each other to encourage Taupin's lyrics to be quickly set to music by Elton.

The duo impress Dick James (Stephen Graham) with 'Your Song' and he sets up their first American performance for them at the 'Troubadour' in Los Angeles. The audience loves Elton's performance, and he doesn't hold back having fought off his earlier nerves. At a party afterwards at Mama Cass's place, he feels abandoned when Taupin leaves him to be with a woman.

At that same party, feeling somewhat dejected, Elton is approached by John Reid (Richard Madden), a music Manager and Promoter who is attracted to Elton. The two sleep together. Reid's ever increasing influence over Elton results in him spiralling into a life of decadence and debauchery as his career takes off and he becomes one of the worlds most successful musicians, at one point accounting for 5% of all the worlds records sales. Meanwhile, Elton embraces an ever increasing extravagant and flamboyant stage profile.

After Elton contracts him as his new manager, Reid begins manipulating Elton, starting off with his insistence that he admits to his mother and father that he's gay so they can help shelter his sexual leanings from the press. Sheila curtly over the telephone informs Elton she was already aware of his sexuality and had been for a long time and doesn't really care, except, she tells him, that he's facing a life of being alone forever. Elton finds Stanley in his new suburban family home and doesn't tell him that he's gay, because he's too upset by his father's happiness with his new family, complete disregard of his old one and total indifference towards Elton and his success. Struggling with his parental issues, as well as Reid's rising abuse, Elton becomes addicted to cannabis, cocaine, alcohol and sex. 

After witnessing Reid cheating on him with another man, at a house party later that day, he consumes a dangerous amount of drugs and alcohol and attempts suicide by jumping into his pool. Whilst sinking to the bottom of the pool, and before being pulled out by friends, he sees a vision of his younger self wearing a makeshift aqualung and playing at a small piano. He is pulled out, bundled into the back of an ambulance and rushed into hospital, and not long after is forced back on stage to continue his performance.

Elton falls out with both his mother and Taupin. Feeling angry, increasingly agitated and depressed, and very alone in the world despite the trappings of his success, he consumes prescription pills and alcohol, causing him to have a heart attack at home during which he falls down the stairs. Once more he is rushed into hospital. Reid hears the news and waves it off as a mild chest infection, forcing Elton again to get back on stage for his next performance. Realising that his life is spiralling out of control, Elton leaves before the performance and finally seeks help. He enters rehabilitation and comes to the realisation that he no longer needs anything from his parents or Reid. Elton repairs his friendship with Taupin, who visits him in the rehab clinic, and returns to performing, wrapping up with 'I'm Still Standing' off the 1983 hit album 'Too Low For Zero'.

In 'Rocketman' Actor turned Director Dexter Fletcher, has crafted a solid tribute to Elton John's meteoric rise to super stardom in the late '60's and through the '70's, and doesn't let up in exposing the warts and all lifestyle and its effects on the wildly extravagant singer. He does however, take some liberties with the timelines, the story and the facts but that doesn't detract from the enjoyment factor of seeing Taron Egerton mimic Sir Elton so well and so brazenly, and how he spirals out of control so wantonly as a result of his success. The film charts the first twenty years or so of his musical career up until about the time he married Renate Blauel in Sydney in 1984, and their subsequent divorce in 1988 and the release of 'I'm Still Standing' in 1983 (muddled timelines here) which concludes the film with Egerton's Elton John cut into the actual video footage that accompanied the release of that single. It is unlikely that 'Rocketman' will emulate the success of those other two hit musical dramas of this year 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (US$904M Box Office) and 'A Star Is Born' ($US435M Box Office), but it is sure to please die hard Elton John fans as well as those with only a passing interest in the life and times of this enduring rock music icon. The film plays out with an update and images of where Sir Elton is now in both his personal and musical life as of the present day.

The film includes such renditions of John's famous back catalogue performed convincingly by Taron Egerton as 'The Bitch is Back', 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting', 'Border Song' 'Your Song', 'Crocodile Rock' 'Tiny Dancer', 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart', 'Pinball Wizard', 'Rocket Man', 'Bennie and the Jets', 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me', 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', 'Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word' and 'I'm Still Standing'. 

'Rocketman' warrants four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, out of a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

KINGSMAN : THE GOLDEN CIRCLE - Tuesday 26th September 2017.

'KINGSMAN : THE GOLDEN CIRCLE' which I saw earlier last week, is the follow up film to 2014's first instalment in this growing action spy comedy franchise 'Kingsman : The Secret Service' which was both a critical and commercial success taking in US$415M from its US$81M budget outlay. Now some two years later Matthew Vaughn returns to the Director's chair for this hotly anticipated, eagerly awaited, much hyped sequel, on which he also Co-Produces and Co-Writes the Screenplay based on the comic book series of the same name by Mark Miller and Dave Gibbons. Released in the UK and the US at the same time as in Australia, the film cost US$104M, has so far taken US$193M, and has garnered mixed Reviews from Critics largely about the ensemble of new characters, the heavily stylised action sequences, the overly long running time and the lack of originality that heralded the first film. Vaughn has confirmed that he has a treatment already in mind for a third film in the franchise and has indicted Dwayne Johnson might be the ideal candidate to play the arch villain next time around.

This instalment takes place some twelve months following the death of Harry Hart (aka Galahad) at the hands of Richmond Valentine in the previous film. Eggsy Unwin (Taron Egerton) has subsequently taken on the mantle of Galahad and is shacking up in some well to do mews house in London with Princess Tilde of Sweden (Hanna Alstrom). The action ramps up from the get go with a kinetic car chase sequence as Eggsy's private Kingsman issue London cab is ambushed by former Kingsman trainee turned rogue Charlie Hesketh (Edward Holcroft) who lost an arm and his vocal chords during the final climax that saw an end to Valentine and his plans. As the two wrestle in a well choreographed, albeit well over the top, car chase and in vehicle close quarter fight sequence across the night time streets of London, Eggsy is able to thwart his adversary and effect his getaway. He dispatches his adversary through the windscreen of his London cab, although far from dead, leaving behind his bionic arm attached to the hand grip above the door. Eggsy disappears into the River Thames as his cab assumes submarine qualities and enters an underwater subterranean access hatch deep within the bowels of Kingsman London HQ.

Hesketh's dismembered bionic arm however, can be remotely accessed, and so it hacks into the cabs on board computer system and downloads every piece of intelligence from the Kingsman's servers. While Eggsy is otherwise engaged with his Princess meeting her parents for the first time in Sweden, a co-ordinated missile attack takes out the Kingsman HQ and all of the Agents scattered around the British countryside. Only Eggsy survives having been out of the country, and Merlin (Mark Strong) whose pay grade kept him off the Kingsman files.

Following the Doomsday Protocol which Merlin is aware of, leads them to reveal a secretly stashed bottle of aged 'Statesman' Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey. The pair drown their sorrows and toast their dearly departed colleagues downing almost the entire contents of the bottle, when the Kingsman insignia is revealed on the reverse side of the label. Seeing this as a vital clue, they head for Kentucky, recognising that there is some kind of connection here.

Arriving at the Statesman Whiskey distillery they are greeted by Agent Tequila (Channing Tatum) who treats them with suspicion and starts to interrogate them, revealing that Harry Hart (Colin Firth) is in fact alive having survived the gunshot wound to his head, but is suffering from acute amnesia. Agent Ginger Ale (Halle Berry) intervenes and confirms their identities as allies from Britain. In turn they are introduced to Champagne ('Champ' for short) (Jeff Bridges) who heads up Statesman and he briefs Eggsy and Merlin about a terrorist organisation known as The Golden Circle which they are investigating.

Tequila develops a mysterious blue rash that covers his body, and so is taken off the case and is replaced by Agent Whiskey (Pedro Pascal). Eggsy and Whiskey's first mission is to trace Hesketh's girlfriend Clara Von Gluckfberg (Poppy Delevingne) which takes them to the Glastonbury Music Festival in England, and plant a tracking device on her. Mission accomplished Eggsy returns to Kentucky to see if he can get Harry to snap out of his amnesia. Eggsy manages to successfully trigger Harry's memories by threatening to shoot a Yorkshire Terrier puppy that reminds Harry of his dearly beloved former companion pet Mr. Pickles that has subsequently moved on to the great kennel in the sky.

Meanwhile, back in some remote Cambodian jungle hideaway sits Poppy Adams (Julianne Moore) who heads up the largest single drug cartel in the world, is as a result the worlds richest woman and an aspiring megalomaniac, but is firmly off everyone's radar and she's not to happy about that! She broadcasts a message around the world that she has placed a toxin in every recreational drug available on the market and which she so successfully peddles. This toxin causes a blue rash to develop at first passing through another three phases - manic behaviour, paralysis and ultimately death most hideous. She has a fast acting antidote however, in plentiful supply, and offers it to the world if the President of the United States (Bruce Greenwood) ends his War on Drugs and offers her and her business interests immunity from the law. The President decides to quarantine every effected user across the USA by racking, stacking and packing 'em high in cages in stadia around the country. Included in those, is his Chief of Staff, Fox (Emily Watson).

Merlin intercepts a phone call from Clara to Hesketh saying that she is infected and has the blue rash. Hesketh orders his girlfriend to meet in Italy where he will give her the antidote. Eggsy and Whiskey infiltrate the mountain top hideaway where the antidote is being stored by the millions in single serve viles. There Eggsy steals a single sample for duplicating and in their hasty retreat down the snowy mountain in a cable car, he and Whiskey fall victim to Hesketh's remote control trickery as the cable car goes rogue, breaks free of its cable and plummets down the mountain towards a ski lodge. Needless to say Eggsy saves the day, and retreating to a safe house they are quickly discovered by Poppy's henchmen.

In the exchange of gun fire Whiskey causes the sample bottle to smash to the ground. Harry shoots Whiskey in the head at point blank range believing that there is something not quite right about that Statesman. Eggsy is mortified by Harry's actions and quickly administers an alpha-gel pack to Whiskey's head, as they did with Harry when he was shot, to preserve the integrity of the brain as much as possible and begin the healing process by using rapid acting nano technology. Later, Princess Tilde calls Eggsy in a state of desperate panic saying that she has developed a blue rash!

Later the three amigos discover the secret jungle hideaway of The Golden Circle at 'Poppy Land' in deepest darkest Cambodia, and so they fly via Statesman private plane to that destination - absolute first class all the way with all the amenities and 'toys' on hand. Upon landing Eggsy treads on a concealed land mine in the undergrowth on the edge of Poppy Land. Merlin rescues him using a freezing spray, but in so doing treads on another and has no freeze spray stuff left, and so chooses to do the noble thing and sacrifice himself while taking out the armed security guards in the process. It's a tearful farewell as Eggsy and Harry look on.

Storming the compound Eggsy and Harry first take out the numerous henchmen. Hesketh with his bionic arm confronts Eggsy, but ultimately the good guy wins the day, while Harry tussles with two fierce robotic canines that are Hell bent on ripping him to shreds. With Hesketh dead and the two dogs defunct, the two Kingsman turn attention to Poppy and retrieving the briefcase and the access code that will mobilise the drones around the world sending the antidote to rescue all those blue rashed individuals knocking on death's door. Eggsy injects Poppy with a stronger dose of her own toxin cooked up by Merlin, and as a result she succumbs to the accelerated effects very quickly and dies on the floor, but not before muttering the access code password.

Before Eggsy and Harry can activate the access code in drops Agent Whiskey, fully recovered from his head shot thanks to the fast acting alpha-gel treatment administered by Eggsy earlier. It turns out that Whiskey has an ulterior motive for working against the Kingsman and the Statesman in that he lost his pregnant wife to two drug users when she got caught in an exchange of gun fire, and now he is on a personal crusade working rogue to eliminate all drug users. Eggsy and Harry fight with Whiskey until the latter is man handled upside down into a meat grinder, coming out as prime mincemeat the other end. They key in the access code to the briefcase console, so activating thousands of drones around the world to carry the antidote to save millions of lives.

In the wash up, Chief of Staff Fox has the President impeached for conspiring to commit genocide on an unprecedented scale against all drug users, Champagne makes an announcement that the Statesman have purchased a Scottish whisky distillery to help rebuild Kingsman and in the process offers either one of them the opportunity to step into Whiskey's empty shoes, but they both decline. Ginger Ale steps up and is accepted as Whiskey's replacement. Eggsy marries his blushing Swedish bride, and Agent Tequila joins the Kingsman.

There's a lot to like about this film! If you're a follower of Saville Row gentlemen's fashion, kinetic over the top stylised action sequences, tongue in cheek wise-crack humour, spy type gadgetry aplenty, watching a couple of blokes get minced (literally) and another two cut/torn in half, a plot that has takes leave of itself, an A-list cast and all the spit and polish that a US$100M+ budget affords, then this film is for you. But, this films lacks the originality and the creativity of the first instalment that made that offering so fresh and such a success, and at a running time of approaching two hours twenty minutes it is easily twenty minutes too long. Seeing Colin Firth again playing against type is a joy it must be said and he does so with a suave debonair grace that harks back to Sean Connery's Bond, and Mark Strong's Merlin adds a touch of grounded realism to the unfolding proceedings. As for Taron Egerton's Eggsy he's all over the place and it's hard to take him seriously, and the American Statesman crew are all relegated to bit parts that really serve little purpose other than offer friendly and formidable hands across the Atlantic in a time of crisis. An enjoyable spy genre romp that riffs of 'Bond', 'Bourne', 'Mission : Impossible' and all others that have gone before, but fails to reach the dizzy heights of its predecessor. Also starring Michael Gambon, Sophie Cookson and Elton John.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 21st April 2016.

Having reported in the last couple of weeks the major movies to watch out for in the balance of 2016, I thought I would round things off in a similar vein with the animated films slated for release between now and the end the year. Always finding an audience of both young, and young at heart, it is worth watching out for these top twelve animated offerings coming your way soon, with six highlighted this week and the remaining six next week. Check the release dates nearer the time as dates may vary for a whole heap of reasons.

• 12th May - 'THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE' - from Sony Pictures Imageworks on a budget of US$80M, Directed by Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly featuring the voices of Sean Penn, Danny McBride, Jason Sudeikis and Bill Hader.
• 16th June - 'FINDING DORY' - from Pixar Animation, this follow up to 2003 hugely successful 'Finding Nemo' is Directed by Andrew Stanton again and stars the voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Willem Dafoe, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton and Bill Hader.
• 23rd June - 'ICE AGE : COLLISION COURSE' - the fifth instalment in this successful franchise from Blue Sky Studios is Directed by Mike Thurmeier and stars our usual characters voiced by Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Lopez and Simon Pegg. The first four films made a combined US$2.8B off budgets totalling US$324M which is why the ice age keeps on keeping on.
• 28th July - 'RATCHET AND CLANK' - based on the video game series of the same name, this Sci-Fi action comedy origin film stars the voices of Sylvester Stallone, John Goodman, Paul Giamatti and Rosario Dawson and is brought to us by Sony Interactive Entertainment and the originators of the video game.
• 11th August - 'SAUSAGE PARTY' - definitely not for the kids, this is adult animated comedy Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and stars a huge voice cast that includes Seth Rogen, Kirsten Wiig, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek, Danny McBride and Bill Hader.
• 18th August - 'KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS' - this stop-motion animated fantasy film is set in ancient Japan, is Directed by Travis Knight and stars the voice talents of Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei and Rooney Mara.

And so what is happening in the week ahead at a cinema near you. Three news releases are happening that jump-start with a comedy bio-pic of a little known but perhaps fondly remembered Winter Olympic athlete who came from absolutely nowhere but achieved momentary greatness almost thirty years ago and won the hearts and minds of a nation. Then a close encounter of a new kind as father and son go on the run after discovering something very unusual and very special about the young lad that make him just about the hottest ticket in town. And to wrap things up a French foreign language offering about a famed socialite singer who couldn't really sing but she believed she could, when all around her kept up with the ruse . . . but at whose expense really I wonder. 

Aside from these three there is still plenty of great film fare still on general release that has been Reviewed and Previewed between these pages. When you have sat through your film of choice in the week ahead, share your views and opinions with our readership at Odeon Online in the Comments Box below this or any other Post - we'd love to hear from you. Meanwhile, enjoy this week films.

EDDIE THE EAGLE (Rated PG) - this true sports bio drama comedy story recounts the rise to infamy of one of England's great unsung Winter Olympic sports athletes, and is Directed by Dexter Fletcher and made for US$23M. Having had its worldwide premier at Sundance in late January, the film was released in the US in late February and in the UK in late March, and has so far grossed US$32M. Based on the story of one Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards who rose to fame during the 1988 Winter Olympics as Great Britain's first and only hope in Olympic Ski Jumping at the Calgary, Alberta Games of that year.

Here young lad Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton) has dreams of becoming an Olympic Champion, but alas they are only dreams and he is unable, despite his best efforts, to turn this into anything approaching reality. As a young aspiring teenager he gives away his Summer Olympic dreams in favour of the Winter Olympics and in particularly ski jumping - a sport that Great Britain has not competed in for sixty years. After various setbacks and embarrassments at the hands of competing nations he is taken in by former ski jump champion Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) who nurtures his skills and his abilities to allow him, against the odds, to compete at the highest level. Being old enough to remember the real Eddie Edwards and those Calgary Olympics and the homecoming post-games that this new national hero received despite his failings, this will be an uplifting story of the true underdog with tenacity in the face of adversity, and a competitor whose belief in taking part was more important than winning, and who never gave up hope despite the set backs, the chides, and the abuse from his competitors and those even in his own team. A must watch for the sentimentalists and those wanting a feel good tale of courage and conviction.

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (Rated M) - Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols, this Sci-Fi drama film was made for just US$18M and has a strong cast, a solid story and is already receiving much critical acclaim around the traps for its original premise, convincing performances, and its engaging entertainment factor. Telling the story of  Roy (Michael Shannon) and his eight year old son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) who are on the run from federal and local law enforcement officers and a religious cult after it is discovered that young Alton has special otherworldly powers. With so many hot on their heels, father and son must thwart those that are chasing them as they head towards a date and time of special significance that could change everything, for everyone. Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver and Sam Shepherd also star.

MARGUERITE (Rated M) - loosely inspired by the life of Florence Foster Jenkins, this French/Czech/Belgian Co-Production was Co-Written and Directed by Xavier Giannoli and is set in the 1920's and stars Catherine Frot as Marguerite Dumont a wealthy Paris socialite. She has an overwhelming passion for the opera and for singing, and believes that she has the voice of an angel, and sings often for her friends, even though she is not particularly good at it. Her friends, family and loved ones however, are either too timid or too embarrassed to tell her about her vocal skills, and in fact play along with her fantasy. But things start to take a very different turn when she decides to perform in public in front of a real audience. What does this mean for the would-be-diva who is tone-deaf and couldn't hit a note if her life depended on it - it can go only one of two ways! Not to be confused with the Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant film 'Florence Foster Jenkins' film as Directed by Stephen Frears due out later in 2016.

With three new movies out in the week ahead, and plenty more great cinematic content still out on general release, there is no excuse not to get yourself out to your local multiplex or local independent theatre for some movie goodness. I'll see you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

KINGSMAN : THE SECRET SERVICE - Tuesday 10th February 2015.

Well, it's official! Colin Firth can now say that he is a bona fide movie action star having kicked more butt and amassed a body count to match that of any of Sly's, Arnie's or Bruce's singular movie outings of yesteryear, and along the way spin a mightily entertaining yarn that is 'KINGSMAN : THE SECRET SERVICE' which I saw last night with a couple of movie buddies. From Matthew Vaughan's opening title sequence that sees two middle eastern looking insurgents taken out by two black clad dudes hanging perilously from an oncoming chopper to the opening riffs of Dire Straits 'Money for Nothing' you just know you're in for a treat!

In Directing this modern take on the spy spoof that winks all the way at James Bond, Derek Flint, John Steed with a little Harry Palmer too (note the specs worn by the Kingsmen) and more recently Jason Bourne, Jack Bauer and thankfully not Austin Powers, Matthew Vaughan has added all the touchstones we have come to know and love over the years from the action spy genre, shaken them up, thrown them asunder and given us the middle finger of his right hand as if to say 'I did it my way'!

And so he has . . . and in spades! We have the English gentlemen types, the suave Saville Row suits, gadgets galore, space age technology, sophisticated residences, hideaway command centres, stunning locations as well as some pretty down to Earth ones, a megalomaniac villain with a plan to change the world and a beautiful henchwoman with the most evil pair of 'legs' you have ever seen. It's all good fun, and then of course there is the body count, and Vaughan's creative imaginative way of dispensing death at the hands of our heroes and villains. It all makes for a very enjoyable romp, and I bet that Colin Firth has not had so much fun on a movie set in years . . . if ever!

The story opens in the mid-90's with the opening credits sequence that for the Kingsmen doesn't quite go according to plan and one of them ends up very dead at the hands of a suicide vest wearing insurgent. Back in some downbeat looking council estate in London and Harry Hart (aka 'Galahad', played by Colin Firth) breaks the news to his wife and the young boy 'Eggsy' who then is about four years of age. He hands over a Kingsman medallion and says that is ever she needs help to call the number on the reverse said and say simply 'Oxfords not Brogues' and the matter will be dealt with.

Seventeen years later and we cut to a scene in deepest mountainous Argentina where a man is being held hostage -  and in arrives 'Lancelot' (Jack Davenport) who takes out the captors swiftly and with Kingsman precision, but in turn becomes a casualty at the hands of 'Gazelle' (Sofia Boutella) who has prosthetic razor sharp steel blades for legs . . . and she knows how to use 'em! Gazelle, is the henchwoman of Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) the semi-retired multi-billionaire who speaks with a lisp, is always colourfully attired and hates violence and the sight of blood but just wants to make the world a better place by seriously downsizing the population to deal with the climate change issue! As such, he has hatched a cunning plan involving the free distribution of his manufactured SIM cards that when activated by a certain broadcast signal set off a neurological impulse that turns humans uncontrollably violent against each other.

Eggsy (played in young adulthood by newcomer and one to watch Taron Egerton) meanwhile makes contact with the Kingsman through the medallion given to his mother and is recruited in this Secret Service by Galahad in an attempt to make good on the death of his father all those years ago. Eggsy has a life of council estate petty crime and no hope to look forward to so jumps at the chance for some adventure and daring-do! What follows is the usual training sequence where other hopefuls are put to the test and through their paces over several months as they all fall by the way side one by one leaving only one successful! The training regime is managed by 'Merlin' (Mark Strong) under the watchful eye of 'Arthur' (Michael Caine) to ensure the best outcome is achieved for the Secret Service.

All the while Valentine's plan is unfolding as he persuades more & more world leaders that his plan has credence and should been adopted to prevent climate and environmental disasters in the not too distant future that thus far have been caused by human over population. This all plays out on screen as the clock ticks down on the broadcast of the necessary signal to unleash violent mayhem on an unsuspecting global populace. Vaughan has choreographed some great action set pieces - most notably when Valentine tests his signal on an amassed Church congregation in the US mid-west that Galahad attends having been tipped off. Here we see Firth like you have never seen him before dispensing with crazed churchgoers with acts of extreme violence that result in impalings, dismemberment's, shootings, spearings, stranglings, bone crunching body blows, pistol acrobatics and fist fight gymnastics aplenty - it's a hoot and all largely at the hands of the English gent himself.

The final act as the countdown is on for gathered world dignitaries who have succumbed to Valentine's moral platitudes, is also a finale to behold as the resultant 'firework' display takes us into hitherto unknown territory - brilliantly executed (pardon the pun) and laugh out load OTT.

Needless to say the good guys win the day in what is another nod to Bond, and live to fight another day (or 'Die Another Day')  (well, most of them anyway) and in Eggsy it would appear we have a new suave, savvy, street smart secret service spy in the making. Hugely entertaining,  lavish and stylish, violent and extreme, well cast and deftly handled throughout this is delivered with the tongue firmly planted in the cheek, and definitely one of the most entertaining and engaging films of the year so far. Can't wait for the sequel.

  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-