The King's Man First Reactions Released Online

By Charlie Ridgely - December 6, 2021 07:28 pm EST

Believe it or not, The King's Man is actually on the verge of being released in theaters. The prequel to the Kingsman movies has been advertised for years, getting its premiere delayed time and time again thanks to corporate mergers and global pandemics. Later this month, however, The King's Man is going to be seen on big screens all around the country. Fans aren't sure what to expect from the Kingsman franchise's latest installment, and the early reactions from the press screenings are only painting an even stranger picture for the film.

The reactions from the critics and members of the press that already saw The King's Man are all over the place. There are quite a few folks who have taken to Twitter to say that The King's Man is just a mess, failing to reach the heights of its predecessors. A major complaint is that the film has some serious tonal issues, trying too hard to be both a zany spy movie and a serious period thriller.

There are also plenty of people praising the movie, saying that it's every bit as fun as the first two Kingsman movies, with a better emotional core. Even those that didn't care for the film are loving the wild performance from Rhys Ifans, who plays Rasputin.

You can check out some of the early King's Man reactions below!

Can't Decide What It Wants to Be

I saw King's Man. It's proof that Matthew Vaughn doesn't understand what was so great about the first movie. This prequel can't decide what it wants to be and suffers as a result. That said, I could watch Ralph Fiennes do spy stuff all day. Is it too late to make him James Bond? pic.twitter.com/C8dX29Ekx6
— Jake (@jacobkleinman) December 6, 2021

Bizarre

THE KING'S MAN is ... bizarre. Tonally, it's the wildest movie I've seen this year, its both self-serious and utterly, totally silly. It also has a deeply troubling plot that the more I think on it, the more I loathe. But Rasputin has superpowers I guess?
— Hoai-Tran Bui (@htranbui) December 6, 2021

Mostly Successful

The King's Man blends real-life history to the heightened Kingsman world to mostly successful results. At times, the story meanders, but there's genuine surprises, three Tom Hollander performances and Rhys Ifans being outrageous as Rasputin. What more do you want? #TheKingsMan pic.twitter.com/JafaRODzP5
— Ian Sandwell (@ian_sandwell) December 6, 2021

Pivot?

THE KING'S MAN is the kind of franchise prequel typically fobbed off to the guy who did the visual effects on the last one, but Matthew Vaughn made it himself?! The search for what Vaughn's actual deal is continues, given that this one features a series pivot to Dad Movie (!?).
— Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) December 6, 2021

Big Thumbs Up

The King's Man is an unexpectedly emotional WWI story, brilliant Ralph Fiennes action movie and historical prequel all rolled into one. A fitting origin yarn to the first film. A big thumbs up from me. #TheKingsMan
— 100% Cassam Looch (@cassamlooch) December 6, 2021

Not a Fan

I was not a fan of The King's Man. I love the first two films & Vaughn's work overall but this prequel doesn't particularly enrich that mythology. The action is fun when it happens but there isn't a ton and the story is awkwardly disjointed. I forgot about it the moment it ended pic.twitter.com/0Wu9RQLqIs
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) December 6, 2021

Best in the Series

The King’s Man might be one of the bigger surprises this year!

It has the series’ over-bloated and messy pace, but story-wise it’s much more grounded and remarkably poignant. Probably the best in the series.

Rhys Ifans’ Rasputin is perfect. He’s an insane wildcard Bond villain. pic.twitter.com/YoUguQWiO3
— Ryan "Horror" Hollinger (@ryanhollinger) December 6, 2021

It's Bad

As someone who loves the first Kingsman movie and really enjoyed the second one, all I really have to say about The King's Man is... it's bad. There's some neat action and fun performances, but the story and tone are a mess and the "comedy" is downright awful at times. pic.twitter.com/jhI5GZbRYm
— molly freeman (@mollyrockit) December 6, 2021

Two Different Films

THE KING'S MAN feels like two very different films, 1917 in a KINGSMAN shell. The script seems like pages of two separate scripts shuffled together. When there is action it's well done, but the implications of the villain are messy (to put it mildly). *Insert shrug emoji*
— Jeff Ewing (@ReelJeffEwing) December 6, 2021

So Much Fun!

I kinda loved THE KING’S MAN, which is as contrived as the other two but is upheld by a really rich emotional core — there’s a second act sequence, too, that I found tremendously striking. Harris is MVP imo. Ralph commits to every single bit he’s ever given. So much fun!
— Jack King (@jackarking) December 6, 2021