The King's Man Early Buzz: Matthew Vaughn Maketh A Divisive Prequel

It feels like a lifetime ago that "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" hit theaters, providing the franchise with enough juice to keep going. Matthew Vaughn had surprised as all with the shockingly entertaining "Kingsman: The Secret Service" in 2014 and now, the filmmaker is back with a prequel, "The King's Man." This movie has been on the shelf for a long, long time collecting dust, partially caught up in the Disney/Fox merger, but mostly as a result of the pandemic. In any event, critics have now seen the movie and reactions are rolling in.

While we've yet to get any full reviews for the film based on the comic book series by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, we do have some social media reactions to give us an idea of what to expect. Based on the early buzz? It seems like we're in for a mixed bag that may prove to be divisive. Strap in, kids, we're going for a ride.

The general consensus seems to be that this is a weird movie and not totally like the previous two entries — for better or for worse. Here's how our own Hoai-Tran Bui felt about it:

THE KING'S MAN is ... bizarre. Tonally, it's the wildest movie I've seen this year, its both self-serious and utterly, totally silly. It also has a deeply troubling plot that the more I think on it, the more I loathe. But Rasputin has superpowers I guess?

— Hoai-Tran Bui (@htranbui) December 6, 2021

Meanwhile, our man Jeff Ewing had some thoughts, and they were a bit mixed.

THE KING'S MAN feels like two very different films, 1917 in a KINGSMAN shell. The script seems like pages of two separate scripts shuffled together. When there is action it's well done, but the implications of the villain are messy (to put it mildly). *Insert shrug emoji*

— Jeff Ewing (@ReelJeffEwing) December 6, 2021

As for the rest of the bunch? It's a mix of some good, some bad, some ugly. It appears this one might be divisive, that much is clear. Gizmodo and io9's Germain Lussier was not a fan.

I was not a fan of The King's Man. I love the first two films & Vaughn's work overall but this prequel doesn't particularly enrich that mythology. The action is fun when it happens but there isn't a ton and the story is awkwardly disjointed. I forgot about it the moment it ended pic.twitter.com/0Wu9RQLqIs

— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) December 6, 2021

Digital Spy's Ian Sandwell, meanwhile, feels that Vaughn "blends real-life history to the heightened Kingsman world to mostly successful results."

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? #TheKingsMan pic.twitter.com/JafaRODzP5

— Ian Sandwell (@ian_sandwell) December 6, 2021

The rest of the reactions in the early bunch range from hailing it as a "dad movie," to declaring that it "slaps," as the kids might say. Again, the best way to describe this first wave of reactions is mixed.

The King's Man is an unexpectedly emotional WWI story, brilliant Ralph Fiennes action movie and historical prequel all rolled into one. A fitting origin yarn to the first film. A big thumbs up from me. #TheKingsMan

— 100% Cassam Looch (@cassamlooch) December 6, 2021

#TheKingsMan ABSOLUTELY SLAPS! A little more serious than the first two, but still enough bawdy humor and insanely fun action to bring it home. Also, Ralph Fiennes is now M AND Bond, and it's thrilling to no end. If you're already a Kingsman fan, this is still your jam. pic.twitter.com/BjQ7NtNNOV

— Mike Reyes (@MrControversy83) December 6, 2021

THE KING'S MAN is the kind of franchise prequel typically fobbed off to the guy who did the visual effects on the last one, but Matthew Vaughn made it himself?! The search for what Vaughn's actual deal is continues, given that this one features a series pivot to Dad Movie (!?).

— Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) December 6, 2021

"The King's Man" baffled me.
'Cause its predecessors were James Bond-esque action comedy. But this one, #TheKingsMan was period piece heavy dramatic; totally caught me off guard.

The fight scenes were great. But I was not a fan of this franchise's weird drastic change of tone. pic.twitter.com/ImnfZcc2g1

— Rama Got Run Over by a Reindeer🎄🎅 (@RamasScreen) December 6, 2021

THE KING'S MAN: It's fine. A step up from THE GOLDEN CIRCLE but tonally much more serious than the previous two. Either way, I had fun with its oddball historical fiction. Ralph Fiennes is quite good. I expect to be in the minority on this one.

— Sean Mulvihill (@NotSPMulvihill) December 6, 2021

#TheKingsMan is excellent and loaded with fantastic action and a number of surprises. While Ralph Fiennes was great, Rhys Ifans *steals* the movie with his portrayal of Rasputin. Loved how Matthew Vaughn weaves in real history. Will def see again. Thumbs way up. pic.twitter.com/Z1erb86R5Z

— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) December 6, 2021

#TheKingsMan is better than THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. It's clear that Matthew Vaughn wanted to make a World War I action drama and used the IP for commercial purposes. It's slight but with cool action and my 14-year-old liked it a lot.

— Scott Mendelson (@ScottMendelson) December 6, 2021

As is always the case, we'll get a great deal more insight once the full reviews drop in the not-too-distant future. Whether or not this movie does well enough to ensure that "Kingsman 3" might still happen remains to be seen, but this movie has been sitting on the shelf for a long time, and it's finally time to see what all the fuss, good or bad, has been about.

Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance star, with Vaughn, David Reid, and Adam Bohling producing.

"The King's Man" is set to hit theaters on December 22, 2021.

As a collection of history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in The King's Man.