This past weekend, I saw every single spy movie created in the last fifty years. In two hours and nine minutes.

Kingsman: The Secret Service is a British film from director Matthew Vaughn, best known for his works in movies like Kick-Ass, or X-Men: First Class, and came out in theaters February 13. This indubitably action flick follows the Kingsman spy organization, an independent intelligence outfit based out of England, and one of their newest recruits, Gary “Eggsy” Unwin, played by Taron Egerton. Eggsy is a talented, yet rebellious, youth living with his mother, widowed by her husband’s brave actions in the service of the Kingsmen. When he is in hot water with the law, he has no where to turn for assistance but the Kingsmen. The organization then realizes his value as an operative and signs him up for the extremely strenuous training program. But, when an agent dies in the field, the mystery ignites and the Kingsmen must follow the twists and turns or else a grave catastrophe will ensue.

Does it sound familiar? It should, as it follows the same general formula seen in popular spy literature. First, we have the innately gifted and reluctant protagonist, paired in peril with a cold yet caring mentor, played by Colin Firth. Then, enter a bizarre sociopathic villain with views to fix the world, portrayed by a comically lisp-y Samuel L. Jackson. Equally important to the formula are the over-the-top violent fights and stunts, equally outlandish and dangerous gadgets and a few good countdown timers. Mix in an intense, building soundtrack and you’ve got yourself a classic summer blockbuster. However, this formula is something I’ve come to miss. The stigmatic modern spy movies, in all of their grit and realism, have lost the fun and charm of the classics. For example, while Skyfall was inherently intriguing and very visually interesting, you can’t deny that Bond was more fun when he had ejectable seats and fought henchmen with deadly hat-throwing skills. I’m not saying that one is better than the other, just that the formula is different.

Kingsman works to revitalize that classic spy film genre with all the fun toys of modern movie making. The absurd concealed cigarette lighter grenades pack more of a CGI fueled punch, than possible in the older spy films. The Kingsmen’s umbrella guns, with an advanced HUD, are enough to make Sean Connery jealous. Cinematography helps to bring the classic spy experience into the 21st century nicely. Each of the excessive fight scenes is filmed in an artistic, chaotic way. The camera shakes and zooms every time a hit is landed. A word of warning on the fight scenes though, they can become quite violent, almost uncomfortably so. Usually violent films don’t perturb me, but one particular scene struck a very uneasy chord with me.

In short, Kingsman: The Secret Service is movie that you’ve probably seen before, but it has been a long, long time since someone has breathed life into this seemingly forgotten genre. Is Eggsy the Bond of our generation? He definitely adapts the character of suave, cool and capable gentleman to the modern day but those are some pretty huge shoes to fill. At any rate, Vaughn created a great groundwork and a very fun film. I give Kingsman a strong six out of ten and would recommend this movie to any spy fan, as long as you can handle the intense violence in a few scenes. So, have you seen Kingsman yet? What are your thoughts? Let me know at [email protected].