• About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Students With Medically Restricted Diets Struggle to Eat On Campus
      Students With Medically Restricted Diets Struggle to Eat On Campus
    • Students find new ways to celebrate Diwali
      Students find new ways to celebrate Diwali
    • Changing COVID-19 regulations impact students’ mental health
      Changing COVID-19 regulations impact students’ mental health
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
      Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
    • The block system is a joke
      The block system is a joke
    • Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls
      Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester
      Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester
    • Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart
      Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart
    • “Dash & Lily” Find Love, Stranded
      “Dash & Lily” Find Love, Stranded
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
  • Health and Wellness
    • No image
      Athletic impacts of Covid-19
    • No image
      A new kind of PE
    • No image
      Maintaining wellness as the cold sets in
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • Miscellanea
    • No image
      Remote students experience existential crises; change class years in email signatures
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
      Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
    • The Artichoke
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Caroline Alt Arts, ReviewsSeptember 28, 2017

Even​ ​the​ ​Statesman​ ​can’t ​stop​ ​the​ ​sexism​ ​of​ ​“Kingsman:​ ​The​ ​Golden​ ​Circle”

“The Golden Circle” took home $39 million in its first weekend Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

This review contains spoilers for “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”

This​ ​Friday,​ ​the​ ​long​-​awaited​ ​“Kingsman:​ ​The​ ​Secret​ ​Service”​ ​​​sequel,​ ​“Kingsman:​ ​The​ ​Golden Circle,”​ ​hit​ ​theaters. ​ Despite​ ​all​ ​of​ the ​criticism​ of ​the​ ​last​ ​installment,​ ​the​ ​franchise​ ​continues​ ​to​ ​follow a​ ​satirical​ ​yet​ equally ​misogynistic​ ​take​ ​on​ ​the​ ​James​ ​Bond​ ​series.​ ​However,​ ​even​ ​with​ ​its​ ​glaring​ ​problems, there​ ​is​ ​still​ ​something​ ​tantalizing​ ​about​ ​the​ ​21st​ ​century’s​ ​favorite​ ​British​ ​spies.

The​ ​story​ ​picks​ ​up​ ​a​ ​few​ ​years​ ​after​ ​it ​last​ ​left​ ​off,​ ​with​ ​the​ ​newly​-​initiated​ ​Eggsy​ ​Unwin (Taron​ ​Egerton)​ risking​ ​his​ ​life​ daily​ ​to​ ​secretly​ ​save​ ​the​ ​world.​ As he is ​leaving​ ​work​ ​for​ ​the​ ​night​, ​he​ ​is held at gunpoint by​ ​his​ ​supposedly​ ​dead​ ​enemy,​ ​Charlie​ ​Hesketh​ ​(Edward​ ​Holcroft),​ ​a​ ​former​ ​Kingsman​ ​trainee.​ ​After​ ​a​ ​reaffirming,​ ​beautifully​-timed​ ​fight​ ​that​ ​made​ ​me​ ​remember​ ​why​ ​I​ ​watch​ ​action movies,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​revealed​ ​that​ ​Charlie​ ​is​ ​back​ ​to​ ​represent​ a ​mysterious​ underground organization known as the Golden​ ​Circle​ ​and​ ​that​ ​the Kingsmen​ ​are​ ​in​ ​danger.  After the demise of many Kingsman, Eggsy and company recruit​ ​the​ ​help​ ​of​ ​their,​ ​as​ ​Agent​ ​Tequila (Channing​ ​Tatum) puts it, ​“American​ ​cousins.”​ ​The​ ​Kingsman​ ​and​ ​“Statesman”​ ​(who include ​Jeff​ ​Bridges,​ ​Halle Berry​ ​and​ ​Pedro​ ​Pascal)​ ​must​ ​join​ ​together​ ​to​ ​take​ ​down​ ​the​ ​malicious​ ​drug​ lord,​ ​Poppy (Julianne​ ​Moore)​ ​before​ ​she​ ​wipes​ ​out​ ​all​ ​recreational​ ​drug​ ​users​ ​in​ ​an​ ​attempt​ ​to​ ​legalize​ ​these substances.​ ​With​ ​beautifully​-​choreographed​ ​gunfights,​ ​a​ supremely entertaining ​cameo​ ​by​ ​Sir​ ​Elton​ ​John​ ​that​ ​is​ ​paramount​ ​to​ ​the plot, ​and​ ​the​ ​return​ ​of​ ​the​ ​presumed​ ​dead​ ​Harry​ ​Hart​ ​(Colin​ ​Firth),​ ​“Kingsman”​ ​will stun​ ​viewers​ ​on​ ​the​ ​big screen. 

While ​no​ ​franchise ​can​ ​pull​ ​off​ ​bright​ ​orange​ ​quite​ ​like​ ​the​ ​“Kingsman” ​can,​ ​this​ ​movie​ ​installment, ​in​ ​the​ ​realm​ ​of​ ​sequels,​ is ​really​ ​good.​ ​It​ was​ ​still able​ ​to​ ​capture​ ​the​ ​quick​ ​humor​ ​of​ ​the​ ​former​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​the​ ​unwavering​ ​hearts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​characters.​ ​The series​ ​continues​ ​to​ provide innovative and eye-catching action sequences​ ​using​ ​both​ ​slow​ ​motion​ ​and​ ​sped​-up​ ​shots​ ​that harmoniously​ ​flowed​ ​together​ ​into​ ​succinct​ ​action​-​packed​ bursts.​ ​

The ​latest installment​ also ​featured​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​most​ ​likable​ ​casts​ of ​any​ ​2017​ ​movie.  Even​ ​the​ ​members​ ​spent ​the majority​ ​of​ ​their​ ​press​ ​appearances​ ​cooing​ ​over​ ​each​ ​other​ ​(see​ ​anyone​ ​talking​ ​about​ ​Pedro​ ​Pascal​ ​at​ ​the San​ ​Diego​ ​Comic​ ​Con).​ ​

However, ​we​ ​should​ ​not​ ​gloss​ ​over​ ​the​ ​severe misogyny​ ​of​ ​the​ ​movie.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​hard​ ​to​ ​understand​ ​why​ ​a​ ​concept​ ​based​ ​on​ ​poking​ ​fun​ ​at​ ​the​ ​wildly sexist​ ​Bond​ ​films​ ​still​ ​falls​ ​into​ ​the​ ​same​ ​traps​. First of all,​ ​the​ ​only​ ​female​ ​member​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Kingsman,​ ​and​ ​arguably the​ ​most​ ​capable​ ​Roxy​ ​(Sophie​ ​Cookson) ​is​ ​murdered​ ​in the midst of helping​ ​Eggsy​ ​impress​ ​his girlfriend,​ ​Princess​ ​Tilde’s​ ​(Hanna​ ​Alstrom),​ ​royal​ ​family.​ ​Fans​ ​of​ ​the​ ​series​ ​will​ ​remember​ ​the​ ​original movie’s​ ​blatant​ ​disregard​ ​for​ ​both​ ​Roxy’s​ ​actions​ ​and​ ​her​ ​emotions​ ​by​ ​giving​ ​her ​little​ ​screentime and hastily-written relationships.​ ​This​ ​was​ ​proven​ ​to​ ​be​ ​all​ ​for​ ​naught​ ​in​ ​this​ ​installment.​ ​Although  Sophie​ ​Cookson​ ​picked​ ​up​ ​an​ ​Empire​ ​Award​ ​nomination​ ​for​ ​her​ ​role​ ​in​ ​the first​ ​movie, ​if​ ​Roxy​’s death was needed as ​a plot device,​ they should have at ​least​ ​let​ ​it​ ​be​ ​in​ ​a​ ​more​ ​respectable​ one.​ ​

This​ ​horrible​ ​writing​ ​of​ ​female​ ​characters​ ​continues​ ​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​movie​ ​with​ ​Princess Tilde,​ ​who​ ​serves​ ​only​ ​to​ ​hinder​ ​Eggsy​ ​in​ ​his​ ​attempts​ ​to​ ​stop​ ​Poppy, and later becomes  a convenient and literally paralyzed damsel in distress, to up the stakes for our hero.  Ultimately, she receives ​maybe 15 minutes​ ​on​ ​screen.​ ​The​ ​most​ ​sickening​ ​and​ ​uncomfortable​ ​moment​ ​in​ ​this​ ​movie​—and remember, this is a movie ​full​ ​of​ ​men literally​ ​getting​ ​ground​ ​up​ ​in​ ​meat​ ​grinders—is​ ​Eggsy’s​ ​“hook-up”​ ​with​ ​Ciara​ ​(Poppy​ ​Delevigne),​ ​Charlie’s girlfriend.​ ​In​ ​under​ ​10 ​minutes,​ ​she​ ​becomes​ ​the​ ​only​ ​character​ ​unclothed​ ​in​ ​the​ entire film, ​and​ ​seconds afterwards,​ ​viewers​ ​are​ ​greeted​ ​with​ ​a​ ​CGI​ ​rendering​ ​of​ ​her​ ​vagina​ ​as​ ​Eggsy​ ​attempts​ ​to​ ​bug​ ​her​ ​mucous membranes.​ The scene is ​overwhelmingly​ ​gross​ ​and​ ​violating​ ​and played for laughs to boot.​ ​​After​ ​this,​ ​Ciara receives only ​a​ ​few​ ​more​ ​lines​ ​before​ ​getting​ ​killed​ ​by​ ​Charlie​ in revenge for her cheating.

Director​ ​Matt​ ​Vaughn​ ​and​ ​star Taron​ ​Egerton​ ​have​ ​repeatedly​ ​defended​ ​these scenes ​in the name of shock​ ​value.​ “It’s what Matthew [Vaughn] does, it’s his signature thing. He likes to do something that shocks. In Kick-Ass, it was Chloe Grace Moretz saying the C-word, in Kingsman 1 it was the bum shot of the Swedish princess, and in this one, it’s the thing. And, you know, it’s not to everyone’s tastes, but it certainly gets people talking. All it is is explicitly showing what Bond alludes to and says in a double entendre kind of way.” Egerton said.

​However, these scenes do not play out as ‘shocking’ so much as excessive and unnecessary.

The​ ​misogyny​ ​in​ ​this​ ​franchise​ ​hardly​ ​even​ ​skims​ ​the​ ​surface​ ​of​ ​what​ ​is​ ​wrong​ ​in​ ​this​ ​series​, ​and​ ​many​ ​arguments​ ​could​ ​be​ ​made​ ​about​ ​how​ ​“Kingsman” portrays​ ​people​ ​with​ ​disabilities​ ​or​ ​people​ ​of​ ​color​ ​(spoiler:​ ​they’re​ ​literally​ ​all​ ​villains, with the new exception of Halle Berry).​ ​This​ ​ ​series is​ ​a​ ​constant​ ​pendulum​ ​swinging between entertainment ​and​ ​disgust​ ​that​ ​inexplicably​ ​continues​ ​to​ ​pull​ ​viewers​ ​in.​ ​While ​“Kingsman:​ ​the​ ​Golden​ ​Circle”​ ​is​ fantastic,​ it​ should be taken ​with​ ​a​ ​grain​ ​of​ ​salt;. No​ ​matter​ ​how​ ​breathtaking​ ​the​ ​cinematography​ ​may be, ​​movies​ ​should​ not​ ​be​ allowed ​to​ ​get​ ​away​ ​with​ ​the​ ​sexist​ ​stunts​ ​“Kingsman”​ ​continues​ ​to​ ​pull.

with the new exception of Halle Berry.)​ ​This​ ​movie​ ​series is​ ​a​ ​constant​ ​pendulum​ ​swing between entertainment ​and​ ​disgust,​ ​that​ ​inexplicably​ ​continues​ ​to​ ​pull​ ​viewers​ ​in.​ ​That’s​ ​why I​ ​conclude​ ​with​ ​saying​ ​this:​ ​“Kingsman:​ ​the​ ​Golden​ ​Circle”​ ​is​ fantastic,​ ​but​ ​ should be taken ​with​ ​a​ ​grain​ ​of​ ​salt;​ ​no​ ​matter​ ​how​ ​breathtaking​ ​the​ ​cinematography​ ​may be, ​​movies​ ​as​ ​a​ ​whole should​ really ​not​ ​be​ allowed ​to​ ​get​ ​away​ ​with​ ​the​ ​sexist​ ​stunts​ ​“Kingsman”​ ​continues​ ​to​ ​pull.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleShould Elisabeth Moss’ Emmy win be seen as a victory for Scientology?
Next articleWellesley Perspectives: 2017 Fall TV Lineup

You may also like

Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester

Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart

“Dash & Lily” Find Love, Stranded

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top