Red Notice

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. (16/11/2021)

What a weird movie. There wasn’t a hint of originality, a trio of not-quite-Shakespearean actors were cast in the lead roles, and the script and the way it was handled were quite unimpressive. Forty minutes into the movie, I was already bored, checking my watch every few minutes to see if it was going to be over soon. Gal Gadot may have a nice figure, but her acting is comparable to that of a Ukrainian clothes hanger, Ryan Reynolds' contribution was that he spent the entire movie rambling on and on (to a point when I started secretly hoping that his character would get killed off), and Dwayne Johnson is just The Rock. It was a very long two hours and I'm absolutely certain I won't watch it ever again. (07/01/2022)

Red Notice didn't entice me due to the likeable cast, with the Gadot-Johnson-Reynolds trio proving themselves in their roles. Plot-wise, it is basically a rehash of older films and aside from a minor plot twist, which was predictable from a certain point on, it doesn't have much to surprise. Some scenes feel too forced – lately filmmakers feel the need to put unnecessary artificial animals in their films – and you could talk at length about how Red Notice disregards the laws of physics, but whatever, a film like this should be taken with a grain of salt. The film could have easily been a quarter of an hour shorter, but it still managed to keep me interested, tense and even entertained at times (thanks mainly to Reynolds). (14/01/2022)

An absolutely average to below average action/funny heist film with three A-list actors, but which drastically exudes a complete lack of creative interest in having any ambition. It won't impress, it might not even offend some, but I was expecting something diametrically different and I'm disappointed with the result. There's a million of these things out there and this one didn't stand out in any way, quite the opposite in fact, I didn't care about the film at all by the end. (12/11/2021)

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. (13/11/2021)