Red Notice

The trailers didn’t entice me at all; I was quite worried about what this project would turn out to be. Unfortunately, my gloomy expectations were fully met! I really don’t understand how anyone can compare this to Indiana Jones in terms of quality. Director Rawson Marshall Thurber has only one similarly genre-oriented film under his belt (Skyscraper), and that one turned out quite poorly as well. The star names in Red Notice look great on paper, but in reality, the chemistry between The Rock and Reynolds just doesn’t work; for every good joke, there are three pretty terrible ones (who on earth wrote those dialogues?!). And Gal Gadot seemed at times like she was not enjoying herself (just look at her overacting). The action can be summed up as "digital chaos." Whether it’s the escape from the Russian prison or the moment with the bull (that was really glaring). The story is one big cliché (which wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t clear that the creators didn’t make much of an effort). It will have viewership; those names will attract the masses, but Red Notice didn’t convince me. 4/10 (11/13/2021)

At first, I was all in — caught up in the hype and craving some good old-fashioned adventure. I even slapped four stars on it right away. But then, after a restless night, I started to realize why this film felt so... sterile. Sure, Netflix’s most expensive film to date made a massive splash globally, but that’s mostly thanks to the star power of The Rock and Ryan Reynolds, who are undeniably huge draws right now. The problem is, despite the big-budget tag, the film doesn't really feel like it. The action is nothing spectacular, and even though the story hops around the globe, most of it plays out in generic interiors. It’s like Reynolds is whistling Indy’s tune, but the film never quite hits that adventurous stride. And just when you think it might finally deliver some of that classic archaeological thrill that movies like this need, the plot takes a few wild turns that are more nauseating than exciting. Still, I have to admit, despite all that, Red Notice is pure fun — cheesy, superficial, and more about the banter between The Rock and Ryan Reynolds than anything else. It’s perfect if you just want to turn your brain off and enjoy watching two of the biggest action-comedy stars of the moment. (11/16/2021)

Red Notice is an insanely unoriginal and generic, annoyingly unobjectionable flick with a screenplay like a feature-length Tom and Jerry... playing with twists like The Usual Suspects. In the words of Reynolds, “What the fuck?!” His lines are the only bright moments in the film. Even Jungle Cruise was more imaginative and enchanting. (11/13/2021)

Red Notice is a pure genre film for sure. Netflix didn't take any chances and simply offered a trio of action movie veterans another (joint) project. It follows a basic pattern, Reynolds has plenty of one-liners, Gadot is sexy, and Johnson uses his muscles. I don't think anyone will be surprised if more sequels are made. We also get the nice pairing of Gadot and Cleopatra, another of which we got in Death on the Nile, and next year she'll hopefully be playing her in a really no-frills big budget narrative film. (04/18/2022)

A TV B-movie with A-movie actors, a promising theme, a weak screenplay and the oh-so-mediocre Rawson Marshall Thurber in the director’s chair. Red Notice could be great a modern take on Indy (they even have Swastikas) and the search for Cleopatra’s golden eggs, if it weren’t for lots of nonsense and ridiculous (even if unexpected) twists. The Rock, Gadot and Ryan Reynold all act how they always act and if this had had more inventive (better filmed) action and if it hadn’t been filmed in a studio, it could have been a wonderful guilty pleasure, but this way it is only just an entertaining snack. P.S.: Not even Jablonsky was trying... (11/17/2021)