On Dec. 22, 2021, British production company Marv Studios released a prequel to the beloved Kingsman franchise. Set in 20th century England “The King’s Man” features returning Kingsman actors Ralph Fiennes, Mark Strong, Taron Egerton and Colin Firth. 

The film follows the creation of the “Kingsman” organization during World War I.  In a race against time, The Duke of Oxford and his family worked together to bring down a group of the worst criminal masterminds headed by “The Shepard,” who were working together to gain power and corrupt government systems around the world.

The film starts during the Bouer war in 1902; while working for the red cross, The Duke of Oxford and his young son Conrad witness the death of the duke’s wife, Emily. Following the death of his wife, The Duke of Oxford vows to devote his life to using his position as duke to prevent conflict in Britain. Fast-forwarding 12 years,  The Duke recruits two of his servants to help him create a spy network dedicated to preventing conflicts in the United Kingdom with the approaching of the great war. The group creates a master plan to bring the war to an end by bringing down “The Shepherd” and his group of tyrants. One by one, The Duke and his team take down the tyrants until finally bringing the Shepard’s power to an end. 

The plot of the film brings a rollercoaster of emotions to the audience over the two hours and ten-minute time duration. The fight scenes are exceptionally choreographed and the video is well executed. It meets high expectations but does not exceed them.

Although well thought out and put together, “The King’s Man” does have its downfalls. Plot-line holes and sudden unnecessary plot twists weakened character and story development. Audience members need some historical background knowledge to understand major storylines, which weakens viewers’ understanding of the film. Even though “The King’s Man” has its downfalls, the overall composition of the scenes and plot make up for it. “The King’s Man” shows beloved Kingsman fans the origin story of their favorite series in an exciting, action-packed way.