Kingsman: The Secret Service

"The most fun I’ve had at a movie for a while, Kingsman: The Secret Service is an utterly outrageous, logic-defying, live-action cartoon of a film, a riotous romp that boasts a strong enough sense of unpredictability to smooth over its uneven moments and effects. It’s a shame that more kids won’t get to see this due to Kingsman’s classification, but that’s a back-handed compliment given that the film’s most brazenly offensive content is what’ll win over youngsters."

"Vaughn welcomes details that might seem silly in another director’s hands, such as a bulletproof umbrella or tiny microchips that can make one’s head explode..."

"Injecting fun and fairground thrills back into the spy movie, Kingsman is a blast. Firth is sensational, Jackson rules and newcomer Egerton surprises."

"Hyperspeed action, pithy one-liners and grotesque ultraviolence."

"Verisimilitude is frequently traded in for a rich laugh. The action scenes delight with shock humour."

"Admittedly, the film has a thorough knowledge of its forebears and though it namechecks them at every opportunity, Kingsman brings very little that's new or valuable to the playing table."

"Director Matthew Vaughn strikes an energetic balance between cartoonish action and character-driven drama..."

"With contempo audience's infatuation with all things superheroes and comic book movies, and the baseline treatment of humanity in such movies, Kingsman arrives at just the right time."

"Perhaps the riskiest mainstream movie in years, Vaughn’s love letter to spy movies may be uneven in places, but it’s ultra-violent, envelope-pushing, and fun enough to overcome the flaws."