Then came The Golden Circle (2017). Director Matthew Vaughn didn’t just raise the stakes; he nuked them.

Let’s address the elephant in the room. Within the first twenty minutes, The Golden Circle commits cinematic patricide. Almost the entire Kingsman organization—including Roxy (Sophie Cookson) and, seemingly, Merlin’s dignity—is wiped out by a single missile strike.

Do you prefer the original's tailored precision or the sequel's chaotic excess? Sound off in the comments below.

It has been nearly a decade since Harry Hart (Colin Firth) shut the door on his shop, “Kingsman,” and asked Eggsy (Taron Egerton) if he preferred Oxfords or Brogues. When Kingsman: The Secret Service arrived in 2015, it felt like a live-action cartoon for adults: vicious, stylish, and genuinely shocking.

Where The Secret Service was about class mobility and chivalry, The Golden Circle is about... the War on Drugs.