Regular listeners of the podcast know that RDT and I were both shocked and pleased at how much we enjoyed the first Kingsman movie. It had all the elements of a R rated James Bond Jr. with just enough kitsch and meta-ness to make it damn near perfect.

The story, if you don’t know, is that the UK has had a far more secret service than MI5 and MI6 protecting it and the world for centuries. Its positions are based on that of Arthurian lore with Arthur at the head of the Kingsmen and codenames like Lancelot and Galahad at his side. When one of the Kingsmen dies a new crop of recruits is brought in to compete to take his place. Most are ivy league students and athletes, but our hero is Eggsy (Taron Egerton), a street wise “Chav” who is also the son of a former Kingsman. What follows is your typical diamond in the rough story where Eggsy becomes the best man for the job, saves the Kingsmen, saves the world, avenges his dead mentor, and has sex with a Dutch politician in a very uncomfortable place (like the back of a Volkswagen) for saving said world. I mean this is based on a Mark Millar (Kick Ass, Wanted, The Authority) story after all.  Continue reading →