“The King’s Man” HD Digital Review – Cinelinx
SETTING UP
On the eve of World War I, an English nobleman (Ralph Fiennes) suffers a tragic personal loss and creates the Kingsman, the first independent intelligence agency. He soon finds himself up against a mysterious criminal mastermind bent on killing millions and wreaking havoc across the world. Also stars Gemma Arterton, Djimon Hounsou, Harris Dickinson and Rhys ifans. Written and directed by Matthew Vaughn.
THE DELIVERY
Matthew Vaughn’s First Two Kingsman the films were an entertaining mix of ’60s spy flicks with modern, tech-savvy nihilism, but the formula seemed to have been played out in late 2017 Kingsman: The Golden Circle.
The king’s man, released late last year, is a welcome change to the narrative; a prequel going back to World War I and the origins of the Kingsman Agency. Ralph Fiennes is now the lead in the film franchise, playing the Duke of Oxford as he rubs shoulders with historical figures in an effort to maintain order in the world.
When Archduke Ferdinand of Austria is assassinated and World War I begins, the Duke employs his confidants Shola (Hounsou) and Polly (Arterton) in his spy service, but things get complicated when his young son Conrad ( Dickinson) insists on joining the war effort. .
The first 2/3 of the film marks a stark contrast to previous Kingsman films. There is a definite attempt at a 1917 vibe as director Vaughn introduces historical conflict with more substance than style. The “No Man’s Land” scene is a definite highlight, and I assumed halfway through that Vaughn intended to ground the whole picture in grim reality.
The third act, however, returns to the Kingsman style we’re used to, as the film embraces the over-stylized and improbable action set-pieces of the first two installments. Not a bad move on Vaughn’s part, as the finale is entertaining enough, but it feels out of place and a little underwhelming compared to the buildup of the first two acts. I enjoyed the international story of intrigue and espionage that Vaughn crafted in the first half of the film, and while I understand the need to satisfy Kingsman fans, I hoped he would have followed his approach.
The exceptional cast is often far better than the script they have to work with. Ralph Fiennes is a pretty solid action hero, and Djimon Hounsou’s quiet nobility is magnetic – honestly, Hounsou NEVER had a bad performance. And that includes his appearance in this gruesome charlie’s angels reboot with Kristen Stewart.
Tom Hollander (bird box) is impressive because he takes on three different key roles (I won’t divulge which ones). His performance is often over the top and ironic, but he matches the tone of the film, especially when the action reaches outrageous levels in the film’s third act.
The film, however, is absolutely STOLEN by Rhys Ifans, who is creepily cool – and often hilarious – as Rasputin. He also delivers the best fight scene in the picture, but unfortunately he’s not the main villain and therefore his screen time is limited. The movie really needed more of him.
Corn The king’s man aspires to be an action-packed, epic historical drama, it doesn’t quite reach the lofty levels it does. It’s an enjoyable, over-stylized action flick that will keep fans of the previous films happy, even if it feels a bit throwaway. It doesn’t have a lasting impact, but it’s a cinematic sugar rush that will have action junkies swaying until the next episode arrives.
VIDEO AND AUDIO
High definition digital transfer delivers a fantastic picture, with rich, deep colors and excellent black levels. Filmed digitally with 4K and 6K cameras, I found exceptional detail even in the 2K version I streamed via Movies Anywhere. Although I always advocate watching a movie off-disc rather than streaming for maximum quality, I was not at all disappointed with the quality of the digital version.
The film sports a distinct vintage look, with a desaturated color palette during the battle scenes in particular, and the transfer handles the color gamut well. During the “No Man’s Land” scene, which takes place at night, I found the blacks particularly inked. Shadows showed impressive detail in grays, without the mottled blacks you often see in lower transfers. The skin tones were natural and the details were impressive, especially in the costume design.
The audio is a somewhat lackluster Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. An ATMOS mix is available in 4K and on disc, but the 5.1 soundtrack sounded flat at times. I expected more low end and better bass during fight scenes. On the positive side, the dialogues and the score are presented with beautiful clarity.
SPECIAL FEATURES
A documentary and several featurettes are among the bonus features included with the digital version of the film and offer in-depth behind-the-scenes insight.
Note: All of these bonus features are available through the Movies Anywhere app, but not all features are available through other digital video providers. The “Trenches” featurette is exclusive to Movies Anywhere, as shown below.
The bonus features are as follows.
The documentary “The King’s Man: The Great Game Begins” is divided into six individual chapters/features on the Movies Anywhere app and offers an in-depth look at the making of the film. On the VUDU app, the documentary is presented as a one-and-a-half-hour single documentary. The individual features are:
* “A Lost Generation” Featurette. The actors and filmmakers explore the history of the First World War period and how the origin story of the Kingsman spy organization is woven. Duration: 11:22
*Featurette “Oxfords and Rogues”. Individual cast members are interviewed and profiled. Ralph Fiennes is among those featured. Duration: 18:33
* “Everybody’s a Stage” Featurette. The design and production team are featured here. Photography, costumes and sets (in particular) are discussed at length. Of particular interest is the recreation of No Man’s Land, on real ground in Britain and not on a set. Duration: 26:41
*Featurette “Instruments of war”. Combat scenes, weapons, and various gadgets featured in the film are explored. Accessories get a lot of love here, and it’s interesting to see the attention to detail and authenticity. Duration: 17:01
* “Fortune smiles on the bold” featurette. Composers Matthew Margeson and Dominic Lewis discuss the film’s unique creative process with director Matthew Vaughn. Duration: 11:46
*Featurette “Long live the Kingsman”. The cast and crew share their thoughts on their experience directing The King’s Man. Duration: 4:11
Additional bonuses include:
* “No Man’s Land: Silent Knife Fight Sequence Breakdown” Featurette. One of the film’s key action sequences is reviewed through interviews, rehearsals, storyboards, visual effects and behind-the-scenes footage. Duration: 15:43
*Featurette “Remembrance and Finding Purpose”. This featurette highlights The Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes, two UK-based resources for veteran recovery, welfare and employment. Several veterans who have been helped are interviewed. Duration: 26:28
* “Recreating the Trenches for ‘The King’s Man'” Featurette. Production designer Darren Gilford reveals how they recreated the First World War trenches for the film. This featurette is exclusive to Movies Anywhere. Duration: 2:17
*Official Red Band Trailer. The film’s R-rated trailer is included. Duration: 1:49
DIGITAL HD SPECIFICATIONS
Release date: February 18, 2022
Duration: 131 minutes
Rating: R (for sequences of strong/gory violence, language and sexual material)
Aspect ratio: 2:39:1
Audio: English Dolby ATMOS (UHD only, select platforms), Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0, Latin Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0, French-Canadian Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0, English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 (select platforms)
Subtitles: English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, French, Spanish
Label: Twentieth Century Studios/Disney
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