Kingsman

[CormoranStrike]

This is much funnier than I expected, not a spoof as such but a mix of a piss take and a friendly nod to James Bond.

Great gadgets, comedy violence, and very entertaining.

Go see it

I thought the fight scenes were well choreographed, but it wasn't all that. The stuff with the Swedish princess was pretty grim to be honest.

Not really grim, surely? That was the bit that wS taking the piss out of Bond's sexual conquest, I thought.

I just thought it was pandering to 15 year old boy porn fantasies when a swedish princess offers the hero anal if he saves the world, and then they do a close up of her presenting her arse..

It's a 15 isn't it?

How explicit are the references to anal sex?

We won't be seeing it at the cinema, as only one DC is old enough, but would like to ask those who have seen it what age they might think it OK to watch at home with a parent present (who will talk over/contextualise at least some iffy bits)

Grim, yeah, if that really happened. But, in the context it didn't bother me at all.

She offers to take it up the ass, could not be more graphic if it tried, to be honest.

Oh that was a funny piss take. Worse was the bit with the mum and toddler in the buggy - that really jarred with the rest of it.

The abused mum stuff also didn't fit in the Bond pastiche, but they had that there in so you actually gave a crap about Eggsy and had a reason why he was unemployed and mixing with wrong-uns.

Chantico, I won't be letting ds (12) watch it if that helps. Took dd (16) this evening and she really enjoyed it.

I thought it was great. I hope there's a sequel as they spent most of the film setting up Egsy as a spy so a sequel with more action plot would be great.

I thought it was very good, but the more I think about it the more holes there were.

Harry and Eggsy left his mum with her abuser for weeks knowing what she would be going through, for example.

The last rejected candidate would have been amnesiac'd (is that a word?) surely, not left to run away and tell the world all about the Kingsmen (or grass up Eggsy in the underground lair!)

The arse dialogue and shot were totally unnecessary. I get what they were trying to do but that extension of the idea was a real bum note ;-) to quote a review I read. The lisp was deeply annoying too.

I really wasn't expecting Harry to die, I thought that was a notable twist though anyone who had read the comic novel would have expected it.

Chantico - yes, definitely a 15 and it was cut to make that; it's got a very 18 sensibility about it in a couple of places.

It's brilliant. Taking husband to see it soon!

It was pretty violent for my tastes. Generally I enjoy 15s more than 18s and I'd say this is a genuine 15 unsuitable for younger teens. I also found the anal sex stuff distasteful to the point I thought I'd misheard what Princess said. Good fun film though but not for younger teens.

This review from my husband's blog includes an analysis of the gender politics at the end.

notlefthandedfilmguide.co.uk/2015/02/03/kingsman-the-secret-service/

I haven't seen it but lots of reviewers are very uncomfortable about the gender politics.....

I really liked but was left with a bad taste in my mouth re the princess bit. I was really hoping she was about to whack him round the head. The cinema I was in had a few vocal 'ughhs' at this but I guess in a few years it will be normalised and not even a joke.......

saw this yesterday with my 16 year old. Bit violent, had to shut my eyes a lot, I actually found the up the bum bit very funny. I laughed a lot through it. I was surprised it was a 15 though. Saying that was surprised that hunger games passed as a twelve.

We loved it, really funny. Agree about the bum bit being a James Bond joke although could have done without it as we smuggled DD in who is under 15 but it was fleeting

Misogyny passed off as humour to deflect criticism

I have three films recently with scenes of anal sex, all 15 and not hard core,in anyway. But I believe it goes with the trend for shaggy beards on men at a time when this look is identified with jihadists. Rapes and violence towards women have also increased as more men feel threatened by women's independence. Anal sex is not only regarded as taboo by religion, but it's also the means used to abuse people across the ages. To force anal sex on someone is to degrade them, so what dose it now mean that women are offering it freely, is it the end of the taboo the ultimate freedom. Or is it women doing everything they can to to try and catch mens attention in a time when mens preference is for the company of their own kind.

I think it was possibly the worse film I have ever seen.

Waste of some good actors, no humour, revolting violence, terrible script, dreadful music - absolute shite of the highest order.

Before I knew it was based on some comic book/novel I would have said cardboard characters as well. I have however seen quite a few films based on comic books which have a least had a few laughs and good characters.

The 'anal' stuff was just pathetic.

Embarrassing for all concerned really. But I'm £12 down so I guess I'm the mug.

I enjoyed the film on the whole but agree the final section with the princess was unnecessary and I felt out of step with the film.

I was also annoyed that the woman (forgotten her name sorry) beat Egsy by dint of being tougher than him and yet she swings around in space squealing while he sorts out the bad guys?

I think this film was definitely a chick flick as a group of girls opposite me where roaring with laughter. Maybe because the humour that did exist caters to our taste, I'm very surprised that everyone finds the anal sex so disturbing because to me it
just looked like a way of taking the piss out of men. Unlike Bond films where the women are always subserviante to the man. Also just think, which would you prefer being stuck out in space completely on your own, or on the ground with someone for back up,knowing you would be the one who gets all the glory, if it goes well. It also shows brains can be superior to brawn,and team work can be better than thinking only of yourself, hope this helps.