There is something about the Kingsman franchise that just works for me. I say “for me” because these movies aren’t for everyone, and they’re not perfect. They’re a commentary on the spy genre and action films, but they’re sometimes not executed in the best way and can come off as doing the bad thing they’re poking fun at. But for the most part, I love them because they aren’t perfect, but they have characters who care and want to be the best of the best, and that is generally fun to see.

My full review for The King’s Man is embargoed until next week, but the social media embargo broke, which means that many were sharing their first reactions to the movie on Twitter. From people loving this more than the other Kingsman movies to people absolutely hating it, The King’s Man seems right on par for the rest of the franchise.

Twitter reactions

The reactions so far are mixed, which seems pretty much right for the Kingsman franchise. I love that these movies constantly divide moviegoers, and I hope they continue to do so—and no one does action sequences quite like Kingsman director Matthew Vaughn does.

THE KING’S MAN: It’s fine. A step up from THE GOLDEN CIRCLE but tonally much more serious than the previous two. Either way, I had fun with its oddball historical fiction. Ralph Fiennes is quite good. I expect to be in the minority on this one.

— Sean Mulvihill (@NotSPMulvihill) December 6, 2021

As someone who loves the first Kingsman movie and really enjoyed the second one, all I really have to say about The King’s Man is… it’s bad. There’s some neat action and fun performances, but the story and tone are a mess and the “comedy” is downright awful at times. pic.twitter.com/jhI5GZbRYm

— molly freeman (@mollyrockit) December 6, 2021

The King’s Man is an unexpectedly emotional WWI story, brilliant Ralph Fiennes action movie and historical prequel all rolled into one. A fitting origin yarn to the first film. A big thumbs up from me. #TheKingsMan

— 100% Cassam Looch (@cassamlooch) December 6, 2021

The King’s Man blends real-life history to the heightened Kingsman world to mostly successful results. At times, the story meanders, but there’s genuine surprises, three Tom Hollander performances and Rhys Ifans being outrageous as Rasputin. What more do you want? #TheKingsMan pic.twitter.com/JafaRODzP5

— Ian Sandwell (@ian_sandwell) December 6, 2021

It may still be ridiculous at points but the third time was the charm for me with Matthew Vaughn’s THE KING’S MAN. The most fun I’ve had with these films yet. Ralph Fiennes commands the screen with strength & nobility while the WWI backdrop helped the kinetic action feel fresh. pic.twitter.com/pL7GVLvEuA

— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) December 7, 2021

THE KING’S MAN is … bizarre. Tonally, it’s the wildest movie I’ve seen this year, its both self-serious and utterly, totally silly. It also has a deeply troubling plot that the more I think on it, the more I loathe. But Rasputin has superpowers I guess?

— Hoai-Tran Bui (@htranbui) December 6, 2021

I was not a fan of The King’s Man. I love the first two films & Vaughn’s work overall but this prequel doesn’t particularly enrich that mythology. The action is fun when it happens but there isn’t a ton and the story is awkwardly disjointed. I forgot about it the moment it ended pic.twitter.com/0Wu9RQLqIs

— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) December 6, 2021

Reviews of The King’s Man are embargoed until next week, so for now I’ll just salute one objectively hilarious detail: the Blofeldian villain, who engineers the First World War *and* the rise of Lenin in an attempt to destroy the British Crown, is a bitter Scottish nationalist

— Robbie Collin (@robbiereviews) December 6, 2021

The King’s Man is a long game but ultimately one that rules for fans of the Kingsman franchise. We stan an origin story. #TheKingsMan

— it was rachatha all along (@RachelLeishman) December 7, 2021

The King’s Man is in theaters this holiday season.

(image: 20th Century Fox)

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