Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video:

Audio:

Bitrate:

 

Description: Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons' comic series is adapted for the big screen in this Matthew Vaughn-directed action thriller. The story centers on a secret agent who recruits a juvenile delinquent into a top-secret spy organization. Together, they battle a tech genius with diabolical ambitions.

***

A super-secret organization recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency's ultra-competitive training program just as a dire global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius. A phenomenal cast, including Academy Award Winners Colin Firth and Michael Caine and Oscar Nominee Samuel L. Jackson, leads this action-packed spy-thriller directed by Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class).

 

 

The Film:

If Roger Moore’s Bond movies were saturated with rabid violence, then no one would have ever been to watch Kingsman. Fans of the comic book series may be irked at the changes (and there are many) made by director/screenwriter Matthew Vaughn and his co-screenwriter Jane Goldman, but the basic narrative remains the same. Vaughn, however, pushes the violence envelope so far that the audience can practically taste the brutality whilst grinning ear to ear. Although Kingsman is more of a pastiche of spy movies than a spoof of the James Bond series itself, the references to Jason Bourne, Jack Bauer and even to the Harry Palmer series shoulder the overbearing presence of Bond and fashion wonderful metatheatricality.

Based on the comic book by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, Kingsman: The Secret Service is Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin’s (Taron Egerton) coming-of-age story. Harry ‘Galahad’ Hart (Colin Firth), a spy who works for the sophisticated Kingsman organization, recruits Eggsy, an unrefined, mischievous ruffian, who is the son of a former agent, to thwart the sinister plan of a billionaire industrialist named Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson). Eggsy must first complete the Kingsman spy training before he truly understands that “manners maketh man.”

Excerpt from The Film Faculty located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

The popular Kingsman: Secret Service arrives on Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox.  The Arri Alexa XT-shot image containing multiple CGI effects creates a rich and eye-catching image with tight detail, bright colors and a frequent sense of depth.  The transfer is dual-layered with a decent bitrate for the 2-hour film. Contrast and black levels are solid and, as you might expect, the image quality is flawless - with an excellent replication of the theatrical appearance. This Blu-ray gives a very strong presentation - most will be highly impressed with Kingsman: Secret Service's visuals.

NOTE: The captures below are courtesy of our friend Erik Hundland on his site HERE (Thanks Erik!)

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The DTS-HD Master 5.1 at a floor-rattling 4935 kbps is robust enough to take advantage of the film's generous aggressive sequences in the form of many unique effect noises and bountiful soundtrack.  Deep bass is very evident. Head-turning punchy pulses snap to the rear speakers and there is also some gentle subtleties.  The score is by Matthew Margeson and Henry Jackman (Wreck-it Ralph, X-Men First Class, Monsters vs. Aliens, Captain Phillips) is lively, classy and suitable to the onscreen intensities or building tension. There is an optional Descriptive Audio track, foreign language DUBs and many subtitle options signifying along with my Oppo that the disc is region FREE playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

Extras :

Supplements start with an extensive, 1.5 hour, 6-part 'Making of" video piece entitled Kingsman: The Secret Service Revealed. It has input from all the principals and deals with many aspects of the production including effects, its evolution and differences from the comic and so much more. There are also 3 galleries - Behind the Scenes, Sets, Props and lastly there is a theatrical trailer and previews.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Kingsman: The Secret Service has wonderful fun, mesmerizing effects and impressive performances (Colin Firth is magnificent). My only complaint is the gratuitous use of the 'F'-word and excessive violence (church scene) which seemed unnaturally over-used. This film is, typically, over-produced but not to a fault. I enjoyed it very much. The Fox Blu-ray provides an amazing presentation - certainly close to demo for the audio, the extensive extra feature adds further value. This should produce an immensely enjoyable night in the home theater and many scenes worthy of replay. Absolutely recommended! 

Gary Tooze

June 1st, 2015

Also available in Europe (can't verify subtitles etc.)...