Comments on: Watch: Honest Trailer For ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service,’ The Spy Movie That Constantly Reminds You It’s Not A Spy Movie

By: Glass

Glass — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:48 +0000

I love how divisive this movie is for the internets, and I really liked the movie.

By: Hat Trick

Hat Trick — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:48 +0000

I suppose you\’re right, Harold. Maybe my earlier comment makes me sound as though I am in the camp of individuals who want a simplified, unified answer to the question of “how was it?” Web publications do tend to be spoiling us with these definitive report card letter grades and/or number of stars that they stamp right next to the film title that, ultimately, take away from the fact that sometimes a film can appeal to a general audience on a mass level or, more often than not, it can appeal to a much smaller audience. And, perhaps it\’s good to have someone who is able to find value in a film be the one to write about it when such a voice actually exists within a diverse group. What is simply a little hard to get used to for myself is the fact that the act of film criticism being the job of a fairly large and diverse writing staff in any publication has not necessarily been the guiding principle for the majority of film criticism’s existence. You\’d have individual members of a staff be responsible for reviewing films for the longest time for any given publication. Now, the Playlist is completely devoted to film and film criticism which is nothing crazy in terms of capitalism since you oft-times see more and more specialization in the production of any good or service the longer the provision of that good or service lasts. It’s just a little strange to me that sometimes The Playlist decides to opt in on the idea of giving two divergent reviews for one piece if two viewers fall on opposite sides of the spectrum in their viewing experiences of a film and sometimes, well, they don’t. In this instance, they did not and I’d imagine that that’s because staff couldn’t be spared to go see it at first which is totally understandable. But, surely that changed over time. All I’m saying is that diversity of opinion is something that should be celebrated. Film criticism publications such as Film Comment have found ways of doing so that appear to be consistent policy. So there must be certain policies that can be put into place and adhered to at the Playlist when a piece of art is so polarizing that it lends itself to a dual review.

By: Franka

Franka — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:48 +0000

Pretty sure that movie is vile, ugly garbage well beyond the anal sex joke, guys. Jesus, way to hone in on one random point.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:48 +0000

I thought it was pretty funny…

By: HU

HU — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:48 +0000

Speaking as a woman, I love it when a man gets all hot under the collar while telling me what is sexist and vile and what isn\’t… Go ahead, explain to me what kind of movie or joke is sexist, I will totally believe that this is not due to YOUR shrinking at the idea of anal sex. I\’ve noticed before that heterosexual men who are unsecure in their masculinity are particularly afraid of the sheer idea, and find any anal joke to be offensive reflexively. You macho pigs are hilarious and so naive! Kingsman is a great movie, wonderfully entertaining and probably the best action/comedy I have seen in a very long time: I did not find it offensive in the least. It is hilariously funny and the action is amazingly well-done, inventingly shot and choreographed and full of engaging characters. The female characters are not there as a mere after-thought, window-dressing romantic cyphers or helpless damsels in distress, they are independant and as strong as the male characters. I guess you found that offensive too, didn\’t you, you poor innocent baby… It may come as a surprise to you, but women love watching good-looking men in expensive suits in stunning action sequences, especially if we are not asked to put up with unrealistic sex scenes tacked-on artifically (a la James Bond) or gratuitous nude or shower scenes (Star Trek Into Darkness, anyone? or to be fair, nearly every Hollywood movie). It\’s really for the same reasons that men like seeing women dressed to the nines: it may be an adolescent reflex, but it\’s a natural one that doesn\’t get criticized when it\’s the women wearing expensive clothes and shoes which are unrealistic for action sequences (eg: Jurassic Park\’s split skirt and high heels, \’nuff said). As a sidenote, 50 Shades of Grey was released the same day and officially positioned as a \’date\’ movie, an unintentional illustration of how tasteful and classy Kingsman is in comparison. As Dave mentions above, maybe what you found offensive was that the sexual power for once was on the woman\’s side, not the man. Is this idea so new and strange and new to you? If so, let me play the world\’s smallest violin and suggest you go clutch your pearls while the rest of us laugh at your narrow-mindedness…

By: Harold

Harold — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:48 +0000

Just cause one person on the site liked it doesn\’t mean that the majority of the site liked it. It\’s likely that no one changed their minds, rather the core members didn\’t agree with the original review.

By: Hat trick

Hat trick — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:48 +0000

Pretty strange how it\’s considered to be one of the worst of the year around the Playlist and your reviewer gave it an A- score. You all need to at least stick to your guns…or know the difference between something that\’s genuinely good and something that\’s better than you expected it to be.

By: James

James — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:48 +0000

I, on the other hand, am glad to see as much hate as possible directed at Kingsman, which felt to me like the most polished film ever made by a twelve-year-old. Calling the movie feminist is laughable, it suffers from the standard trope, excellently written about in an essay about Wyldstyle in The Lego Movie. There\’s a female character who starts off more competent and capable than the male lead, but he grows and changes, and she remains static, and by the end he surpasses her and saves the day and she\’s completely sidelined, in freaking OUTER SPACE. Feminist my butt. This film has no idea what its political perspective is, and I\’m sorry, but the scene in the church is the most deplorable, reprehensible sequence in cinema in years. The lead character butchers dozens of other human beings, and it\’s treated as fun and goofy. I don\’t care how detestable they\’re presented to be as human beings, the film\’s take on their mass murder is gleeful and hateful and juvenile, and I can\’t even think of enough negative things to say about it.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:48 +0000

People have called Kingsman sexist for the anal sex joke, but I think that\’s because of the American prurience of many reviewers. In Scandinavian countries, feminism has progressed to the point where women are expected to make the first move on men. Sexual activity for women is not stigmatized as "slutty". When a Princess offers a spy (a lower status male, who, despite the cool gadgets and clothes, is still the help) anal sex as a reward for saving her life, she is the one in the empowered position. She makes the offer and it is her prerogative to rescind it. There\’s nothing sexist about this. The situation portrays sex as something that is equally enjoyable to both men and women, yet something that a woman can dangle in front of a man as an extension of her power over him.

By: David

David — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:48 +0000

I\’m sorry, but you are nothing short of idiots if you think that Kingsman has "little under its hood" other than a pastiche of spy movies. It\’s one of the most inspiringly socialist movies I\’ve ever seen – It\’s one of the most damning, indicting critiques of neoliberalism I\’ve ever seen portrayed in a movie. It\’s also hilarious and is written by Jane Goldman, easily one of the great feminist writers that Britain has to offer. I have no idea why you guys have jobs.

By: Leonardo

Leonardo — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:48 +0000

Funny. Cause i remember the initial review from this site being quite positive. What made you change of opinion?

By: Markunator

Markunator — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:48 +0000

Well, I can certainly tell you what I think about YOUR assessments: it sucks. "Kingsman" is a great film. You just completely lack any decent sense of humour. You need to have the attention span of a two year old to be "bored to death" by the "details about posh men\’s fashion". Pull those sticks out of your collective asses already, please.

By: Don

Don — Mon, 23 May 2016 02:36:47 +0000

you are an idiot, OP. Kingsman was a wild good ride at the movies! Go watch your Hitman Agent 47 bs.