The King’s Man Parents Guide

Wondering if The King’s Man is ok for kids? It’s a prequel to the popular Kingsman movies. The King’s Man is rated R for harsh language and violence. And there is one scene that is particularly gross for comedic purposes. Here’s what parents need to know about The King’s Man. 

The King’s Man Parents Guide

The King’s Man is the prequel to the two other Kingsman movies, based on the comic book, The Secret Service. Set during World War I, history mixed with fiction provides an entertaining and sensationalized story for the need of the Kingsman. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria did indeed occur by Gavrilo Princip, but in The King’s Man, he is under direct orders of a puppet master controlling influential criminals around the world. 

However, the Duke of Oxford (Ralph Fiennes), along with son Conrad (Harris Dickinson) and two friends (and servants) Shola (Djimon Hounsou) and Polly (Gemma Arterton) must stop him before an even bigger war breaks out. Shola and Polly use an underutilized network to gather vital information. 

Why is The King’s Man Rated R?

The King’s Man is rated R for sequences of strong/bloody violence, language, and some sexual material. 

Language

There is a lot of language in The King’s Man, especially the use of the f-word. I stopped counting after 25 uses and in different forms like f-stick and used in sexual terms like f— like tigers. There are also other words used like damn and bastard.

Mature Content

There is a lot of violence in The King’s Man, as it is a movie about war. There’s a lot of blood, explosions, stabbings, fighting, and death. Several scenes are disturbing and include callous murders. There are a couple of sword fight scenes. A character is beheaded. 

Another scene includes Rasputin fighting another character in which he requires him to take off his pants and then proceeds to lick his knee. It was disturbing, but used for comedic purposes. 

A woman is seen dancing provocatively for another character through a window with a bare back. 

Sexual references are made. 

Characters drink alcohol.

Is The King’s Man Appropriate for Kids Under 17? 

The King’s Man is for fans of the first two films. A violent comic-book style secret service trope can be fun, but this one is insane. Tonally, it’s all over the place. I felt like I watched 5 different movies in one. The King’s Man is not kid friendly, but if teens have seen the other Kingsman films, this is no worse.

You never know what Director Matthew Vaughn will throw at you. Usually I’m one for some zaniness, but as a prequel, it was too much. I didn’t have time to mourn before a second later the film moved to gruesome, then to hilarious, then back to depressing. I’ll applaud the efforts of the cast and writers for an ambitious take on politics, but I needed some consistency.

Ralph Fiennes was debonair and Rhys Ifans was ludicrous, and at times it worked. I appreciated Arterton and Hounsou for giving voices to a group who is usually taken for granted. The King’s Man may leave you scratching your head after you watch, but it’ll also have you laughing, too.