Hollywood has always had a problem with sequels.

Film is first and foremost a business, not an art form. Sequels almost always make money, so it makes sense that Hollywood decides to shoot out continuing chapters to stories that are better left alone. Although film franchises remain hugely successful in today’s day and age, some sequels simply do not work. Better yet, some sequels simply should not exist. Sadly, Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle belongs to the latter.

A sequel to 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service, 20th Century Fox’s brand new cash grab is destined to please the fans of the original. An overtly violent, suave spy film, The Golden Circle possesses much of what kept the original so fresh. Slick suits press against our British spies as they utilize exciting gizmos and gadgets for blisteringly hard hitting action sequences. Vaughn’s direction never lurks into becoming stale as his use of kinetic editing and swift camera movements spark the visual senses. Style has never been a weak point for Vaughn, but story most definitely has.

The Golden Circle essentially plays the same beats as the original film. The storyline is, once again, about a distraught villain attempting to save the world from its sins by ultimately destroying it. Eggsy, played by Taron Edgerton with a cool ease, must join forces with his American spy allies to stop the incoming force of evil. Channing Tatum gives a wonderful turn as Tequila, a wise cracking American spy who’s undeniable charm and quirkiness lives up to his doltish name. Out team embarks on a high stakes adventure, which never lets up from minute one. The action remains exciting, the acting delivers and the dialogue has enough wit to keep its humor from dwindling down.

With all that being said, an air of familiarity pervades throughout the picture. Nothing ever feels viscerally exciting in terms of new ideas. The plot remains very “by the numbers” especially in terms of structure and character development. Characters die left and right, but none of the deaths feel earned especially since the film essentially decides to throw out any attempt at development. Where the original film kept revamping the story with its gutsy set pieces, every action sequence becomes so big and so audacious here that they almost feel a bit bland.

Sequels have always been undeniably hard to do. Except in a very few cases, Hollywood hasn’t exactly cracked the formula when it comes to these money making machines. In the end, Kingsman: The Golden Circle tries much too hard to be as enticing as the original but it never tries to deliver anything new.

Zain Hashmat is a film student from Meridian. An avid lover of film and literature, he will be reviewing movies available locally for The Meridian Star. He hopes his reviews will get the readers of The Meridian Star excited to get up and go to the movies.