Review Roundup: Colin Firth Stars in KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE

Colin Firth stars in the new action-comedy KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, directed by Matthew Vaughn. The film is based on Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar's comic book THE SECRET SERVICE.

The movie follows Gary "Eggsy" Urwin, who is recruited by a Secret Service agent to join the organization as a trainee. Soon the two must face the evil Richard Valentine, who seeks to eliminate climate change issues through mass extermination.

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE stars Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Taron Egerton, and Michael Caine. Let's see what the critics had to say!

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: If you don't mind the church full of parishioners who are slaughtered to the sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" or the "Arab terrorists" who are blown to smithereens or the guns that are pointed at pet dogs or the human heads that explode like firebombed melons as "Pomp and Circumstance" plays, it may be possible to enjoy "Kingsman: The Secret Service."

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Half amusing and half appalling, Matthew Vaughn's shameless spy caper "Kingsman: The Secret Service" is ultimately done in by its own hypocrisy. But it's an entertaining ride for a while, especially with a droll and dapper Colin Firth leading the charge.

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Even when it stops making sense, Kingsman is unstoppable fun.

Marshall Fine, Huffington Post: Vaughn loves to push limits, in this case cranking up the CG graphic violence. Exploding heads, neatly severed limbs, gouts of blood: There's nothing cartoonish about the physical damage his characters wreak, even as it's presented with a visual panache that is undeniably thrilling.

Steve Tilley, Toronto Sun: ...with powerhouse supporting players like Michael Caine and Mark Strong helping to ground it, and an intoxicating mix of over-the-top violence and slick charm, it's unlike anything we've seen before.

Jordan Hoffman, The Guardian: Verisimilitude is frequently traded in for a rich laugh. The action scenes delight with shock humour. It's violent, but not gory, ready-made for word balloons reading "OOOF" or "KRAKOOM".

Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter: As he did in X-Men: First Class, director Matthew Vaughn strikes an energetic balance between cartoonish action and character-driven drama, though the tinge here is darker, with a story that hinges on matters of climate change, the insidiousness of technology and the class divide.

Scott Collura, IGN: KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE is a spy movie made by James Bond devotees who know the genre so well that they can have a good time with it while also paying it respect -- and taking it to someplace new entirely.

Bilge Ebiri, Vulture: The kind of action extravaganza only a truly fallen civilization can produce, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE will both entertain you and send you running to the shower.

Mike Scott, Nola: ...if ever there was a semi-entertaining movie that sabotages itself with tastelessness and misogyny, this is it.

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