All three films in a beloved comedy thriller series lauded as ‘laugh-out-loud’ have arrived on Amazon Prime Video.
Released in 2014, Kingsman: The Secret Service follows Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin (Taron Egerton), who is recruited by Harry Hart (Colin Firth) into Kingsman, a secret spy organisation.
On his first mission, Eggsy is tasked with taking down wealthy terrorist Richmond Valwentine (Samuel L. Jackson), who is hellbent on dealing with climate change by wiping out the majority of humankind.
Based on the comic book series of the same name, the star-studded cast also includes Mark Strong, Michael Caine, Sophie Cookson, Jack Davenport, and Mark Hamill.
It proved to be a huge success, grossing a whopping $414million (£316m) and winning the Empire Magazine award for Best British Film in 2015.
A sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, was released in 2017, rejoining the Kingsmen as they team up with their American counterpart, Statesman, when a drug cartel, The Golden Circle, wreaks havoc among the spy groups and the wider world.
In 2021, a prequel film starring Ralph Fiennes, The King’s Man, was released, which explored how events during World War I led to the creation of the organisation.
For those eager to delve into the murky world of espionage, all three Kingsmen films are now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video – so grab your snacks and lock in.
A spin-off film, Argylle, was released last year, focusing on Kingsman agent Argylle, played by Henry Cavill.
While not available to stream on Prime, completionists are able to watch this film via Apple TV+.
Argylle was mostly panned by critics and fans alike, with Metro’s own two-star review saying: ‘It works as an entertaining piece of escapism, but nothing beyond that with the way it’s been crafted. The suggestion that this could be a fresh take on spy films is proven unfulfilled when Argylle had the potential to do what it did much better.’
The first film, meanwhile, received overwhelming praise from critics and fans alike, with some going as far as saying it is one of the greatest spy films ever made.
It holds a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus reading: ‘Stylish, subversive, and above all fun, Kingsman: The Secret Service finds director Matthew Vaughn sending up the spy genre with gleeful abandon.’
In their review, Vulture added: ‘Kingsman is not a film for gentlemen. It’s for us, the great unwashed, bloodthirsty audience. It’s an immaculately engineered, laugh-out-loud appeal to our own depravity.’
Globe and Mail wrote: ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service is a lively, dashing and amusing motion picture that smartly spoofs and slyly celebrates the James Bond spy-film franchise.’
Naturally, many drew comparisons to James Bond, with the Toronto Sun pointing out: ‘It’s not necessarily trying to reinvent Bond, so much as reminding us that there are other games in town. And they can be just as enjoyable to play.’
AV Club said: ‘Slick entertainment, provided the viewer turns off whatever part of their brain is responsible for recognizing and parsing subtext.’
Meanwhile, Empire commented: ‘Perhaps the riskiest mainstream movie in years, Vaughn’s love letter to spy movies may be uneven in places, but it’s ultra-violent, envelope-pushing, and fun enough to overcome the flaws. Bond with the stabilisers taken off.’
Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and The King’s Man are streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.