More mind-blowing gadgets, more ludicrous plots, more chances to save the world from an evil mastermind played by a Hollywood superstar. Kingsman 2 returns in style but this time ends up lacking substance.

I've waited a long time for a sequel to Kingsman, which blew me away 3 years ago after it emerged with relatively little buzz and was a surprise hit for many. Now, there's a sequel that will inevitably be compared to its predecessor and face the Sequel Curse debate. Unfortunately (and I hate to say it), this debate can be cut short because in a nutshell, it's not quite the same. Meet the latest Sequel Curse victim. It is the same in that it's a crazy criminal threatening a global crisis resulting in millions of deaths. And the same Kick-Ass style fight scenes feature, jacked up on steroids. But it tries so hard to shock and exhaust and double the action, that you lose what made it so cool in the first place.

What happens in Kingsman 2? Our loveable My Fair Lady protagonist Eggsy (an impeccable Taron Egerton) is back and he's now a fully fledged spy, well settled into his Oxfords (not brogues), and settled down with the Crown Princess Tilde of Sweden. Without giving too much away, chaos erupts and he has to flee to the States to the secret American counterpart agency, Statesman. There, they meet characters who are, unfortunately, only known by ridiculous beverage names such as "Whisky" (Pedro Pascal), "Ginger Ale" (Halle Berry) and "Tequila" (Channing Tatum). Meanwhile, Julianne Moore plays Poppy, a druglord hiding in the jungle who casually puts people through a mincer and has killer robotic dogs for company. It certainly seems a lot darker and gruesome than Samuel L. Jackson's lispy nemesis in a tracksuit threatening the world with a free SIM card.

They've pulled in some very big names for this big sequel - which makes it even more of a big disappointment when you find out some of them are hideously underused. Let's talk about Channing Tatum. The man was robbed! (Or, quite the opposite if his glorified cameo appearance has earned him buckets because he appears in all the promo.) Despite his stellar listing (which could've had endless comedic payoff), the Southern-accent-drawling spy genuinely has fewer scenes than Elton John. Elton, who plays himself, is delightfully camp and genuinely one of the funniest things about the film. I'm not sure how it all came about, but this was simply genius.

So far, I'm not being very generous to the Kingsman crew and maybe this isn't entirely fair. What I can say is they have better gadgets than Bond, and this makes it the kind of film where anything is possible, gadget-aided. You don't need to use your imagination because the film has plenty. It helps if you've seen the first Kingsman, especially as Colin Firth's character Harry Hart/code-name Galahad makes a confusing but brilliant comeback and we forgot he was ever gone. He's not the only familiar face to return either...there's a whole host of bad guys in this one! The great thing about Hart's return is also that we get the lovely father/mentor-son bond which made the first so endearing.

If you're looking for a thrilling and energetic film, this is it. It's a shame the energy is a little bit all over the place, but when we get action (peaks and troughs), it really is as action-packed as they come. Let's also not forget that this is deliberately not a serious movie; it's a spoof. Director Matthew Vaughan has certainly made some bold decisions, and we can almost definitely expect a third. Perhaps next time I'll know to lower my expectations, as this installment was more silver than golden, but that doesn't stop me from wanting more!

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is in cinemas now.