‘The King’s Man’: First Reactions To The Long-Awaited ‘Kingsman’ Prequel Are Finally Here

'The King's Man': First Reactions To The Long-Awaited 'Kingsman' Prequel Are Finally Here

20th Century Fox


Originally scheduled to be released all the way back in November 2019, The King’s Man — the World War I prequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle — has faced numerous delays in the last few years.

\After being bumped from November 2019 to February 2020, The King’s Man was then delayed to September 2020, February 2021, March 2021, and August 2021, before finally landing on its current December 22, 2021 release date. And now, finally, the first reactions from movie critics and journalists alike have begun to roll out, which means we can finally say that The King’s Man is near.

Based on these first reactions, your enjoyment of The King’s Man will likely be based on how much you’ve appreciated the first two entries in the franchise, as early reviews are quite divisive.

Personally, I thought that The King’s Man is both what you’ve come to expect from the franchise while also being something new. Despite leaning into being a World War I film more than I expected, The King’s Man still lacks the element of surprise that carried the first film. Regardless, the 1920s-set prequel is still impressive in its ability to be fresh.

That said, its best attribute is perhaps the way in which it’s almost a throwback to action films from 10, 20 years ago. It’s thoroughly enjoyable, moves at a breakneck pace (sometimes almost *too* breakneck), boasts an excellent cast with the likes of Ralph Fiennes, Djimon Hounsou, Gemma Arterton, and Harris Dickinson, and keeps the story humming along with some shocking moments. All in all, The King’s Man is a perfectly solid action film and a worthy addition to the series.

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance, The King’s Man will hit theaters in the United States on Wednesday, December 22.

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Eric Italiano BroBIble avatar
Eric Italiano is a NYC-based writer who spearheads BroBible's Pop Culture and Entertainment content. He covers topics such as Movies, TV, and Video Games, while interviewing actors, directors, and writers.