Finally, a movie that's all fun: Kingsman: The Secret Service

I've bashed a couple of movies recently, and I gave faint praise to one I found to be at least visually entertaining, so I'm particularly happy to be able to say that if you want two hours and nine minutes of cinema fun, you should go see Kingsman. 

The trailer tells the two plots that ultimately converge:  our hero, a British secret agent (Colin Firth), gives a young man (Taron Egerton) a chance to join the service, even as a clearly deranged bad guy (Samuel L. Jackson) plots to kill off much of humanity.  Firth plays the cooler-than-Bond hero with chill British perfection, while Jackson chews the scenery with abandon.  Egerton turns in a serviceable performance.  Michael Caine, Mark Strong, Sofia Boutella, and Sophie Cookson all deliver strong, memorable characters.  The acting is perfect for this romp. 

The plots are, of course, pretty much the standard spy fare that you'd expect, to the point that at times Jackson mocks the plot as being from a cliched movie.  That said, there are a few surprises, including one big one, that I didn't see coming.  (I refuse to spoil it for you.)

I could pick a lot of holes in the movie, but they end up not mattering, because most of all it's clear that everyone and everything in this movie is about having fun.  I could watch it again today.

If you want to have a good time with an over-the-top spy film, don't miss Kingsman.