PLOT- Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Merlin ( Mark Strong) find themselves the only survivors after the Kingsman headquarters is destroyed. They follow the "Doomsday" protocol, which leads them to their American allies, a secret service organization called "Statesman" who work out of a bourbon distillery in Kentucky. Eggsy and Merlin work with their American counterparts to take down Poppy (Julianne Moore), a drug-lord with a plan that threatens to kill a large percentage of the world's population, if she doesn't get her way.

LIKE- Kingsman: The Golden Circle is so much fun. I had zero expectations when I saw Kingsman: The Secret Service. I went to see it without knowing a single thing about it and loved it. So with the second film in the franchise, I had sky-high expectations that were not only met, but exceeded.

I loved the creativity; the costumes, the sets, the general outrageousness of the story. Julianne Moore is perfection as Poppy. a Martha Stewart-esque criminal mastermind who has a fondness for a 1950's aesthetic that she recreates in her east-asian jungle hide-away. The film is filled with both American and British stereotypes, that perhaps is most apparent with the Statesman, headed by Champ (Jeff Bridges.) The more I see him in films, the more I appreciate the comedic talent of Channing Tatum who plays Tequila, a hard-partying counterpart to Eggsy. Halle Barry even has a small role as Ginger, a Statesman who is hoping to move up the ranks. I suspect she will feature more prominently in future films. I was of course thrilled at the return of Colin Firth. Sigh. 

What I loved most was the unexpected moments, parts that made me laugh or plot twists that I wasn't anticipating. It's just all so completely outrageous and it works, because Kingsman: The Golden Circle never takes itself too seriously. I don't want to spoil it, but there is a really unexpected and hilarious cameo by a very famous musician. 

DISLIKE - The only thing that both my husband and I didn't care for were the use of robots in Poppy's compound. The robots didn't work in the story-world. They were too silly and that's saying a lot considering the whole film requires a great suspension-of-disbelief. 

RECOMMEND- YES!!! Make sure to see Kingsman: The Secret Service before watching Kingsman: The Golden Circle. It's just a really fun and creative franchise. I can't wait for the third film!