Critics are finally sounding off on The King's Man for the first time, and while there are mixed responses, those who love it seem to really love it.
The latest spy blockbuster from director Matthew Vaughn actually sets the table for everything fans have seen before in the film adaptation of Mark Millar's comics with an origin story.
Ralph Fiennes trades in his MI6 badge as M from the James Bond franchise as the Duke of Oxford forms a secret society to combat the world's most notorious villains – Rasputin (Rhys Ifans), Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner) and more.
In a franchise that's already an outlandish variation on the spy genre, The King's Man takes the action to an even more unexpected level of absurdity as the Kingsmen organisation comes together.
Monday night (December 6) was the first time critics were able to share their thoughts on Twitter, ahead of full reviews being published closer to release.
Digital Spy's own Movies Editor Ian Sandwell singled out Rhys Ifans and Tom Hollander's performances in the Russian aristocracy scenes as particular highlights of an overall entertaining action-comedy.
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"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?" our Ian Sandwell asked.
Other writers praised an "unexpectedly emotional" origin story at the film's core, as well as a "refreshing twist on a classic formula that we've thought we've seen already".
Not everyone was quite as thrilled. Some noted a "weird drastic change of tone" more along the lines of a period drama, whereas one major complaint was that it felt like "three tonally different movies in one".
Below are some of the early reactions, which have skewed positive overall:
The King's Man is set for release on December 22, 2021.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
