The King’s Man, an action-packed prequel to the Kingsman film series starring Ralph Fiennes, is now available on Digital, Blu-Ray and DVD. Fans of the Kingsman films will enjoy the origin story of how this group of well-dressed and lethally trained spies band together to form the very first independent intelligence agency while thwarting the plans of an evil mastermind taking advantage of a world already at war.

I was sent a free movie code for an honest review, so keep reading for my so-so opinion of this latest Kingsman installment.

The King’s Man Movie Review

While the movie certainly delivers on the action, I found some of the content to be a little unsettling. Maybe I’m getting to be too much of a parent, or maybe I’m just getting old and more sensitive. One of my first thoughts while watching this movie was, “This is so NOT a kid’s movie, I’m glad the kid went to bed early tonight.”

Not that I thought it was made for kids, I just didn’t realize it was going to be so adult themed because the movie code came from Disney Entertainment. I double checked that detail later and realized it was by 20th Century Studios, which was 20th Century Fox before being bought out by Disney.

Not Quite a Comedy

I was confused why some write-ups classify it as a “spy action comedy film” because it didn’t seem like a comedy. There’s a lot of F-bombs and violence, to both people and a couple goats. A couple of sad things happen, one that was shocking and totally unexpected. (trying to avoid spoilers) A few scenes might have gotten a little chuckle, but if they were going for funny, they missed the mark.

The movie is set in the early 1900s, and the first half of the movie is dedicated to a lengthy exploit with Rasputin. Since he was a real person, I got curious about which details were true, and which were embellished. I Googled him and now I know more about Rasputin and his sexual escapades than I really needed to know.

The Truth About Rasputin

I also learned that this fictional movie includes some not-so-fictional history involving Rasputin and the Russian royals. According to Wikipedia, “In the early morning December 30, 1916, Rasputin was assassinated by a group of conservative noblemen who opposed his influence over Alexandra and Nicholas.” A group of conservative nobleman…just like The Kingsman maybe?

The movie also loosely follows other events set during WWI, but with the added threat of an evil Scotsman who’s gathered history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds to plot an even more sinister war to wipe out millions of people across the globe. This sets the stage for the creation of The Kingsman, as the group works together to save the world.

Overall, the film had a lot of ups and downs, with a couple parts that made me a bit queasy. It was a decent spy-thriller, but not my favorite of the Kingsman series and I probably wouldn’t watch it again.