Argylle

Argylle is a long, dumb, CGI-riddled mess. In other words, it's the standard modern day Hollywood movie. Some aspects are fun but the whole thing drags on and on until you'll be checking your watch every five minutes in hopes that it will be over soon. There is an abundance of CGI and a lot of it is terrible(especially the cat) and it makes the movie look fake but that's the norm these days. I'm not even sure if they filmed any scenes in London because the exterior shots looked really bad to me. Some of the hand to hand combat is pretty decent but for the most part I didn't care about what was happening at all. Additionally, some of the twists in this worked but overall it just kept doing more and more of them and became a convoluted wreck.

Furthermore, the trailers and posters for this film straight up lie. They have you believe that Henry Cavill will be the star of the movie but he's in this for all of maybe five minutes at most. Those five minutes prove that he would be a great James Bond but I bet that will never happen because why make the correct choice and cast someone that is perfect for a role. Additionally, John Cena is in this for even less time and it makes me wonder why they even bothered casting him as he must've cost them a fair amount of money for what amounts to a cameo. The rest of the cast is fine and I like Sam Rockwell so it's nice to see him in a leading role. On the other hand, the comedy doesn't land at all and no one in my screening was laughing at any of the jokes. I think think the PG-13 rating hurts the movie by making it too tame and making it Rated R would've helped it a bit.. If this thing was made in the 90s it would've been much prettier, shorter, bloodier and most importantly, more fun. Argylle, however is just nonsensical, looks awful and overstays its welcome.

Argylle

A very hyped movie from the writer of the Kingsman series, the trailer frequently showed moments of silliness, spy action, Bryce Dallas Howard screaming and a cat that's supposedly awesome or something. At first the movie is cheesy as can be, but it does appear that is intentional. Most of the movie leads the audience to believe it is one thing, when it really is another, being revealed in surprise twists that aren't very surprising.

The ensemble cast does feature some great performances, even though Henry Cavill's hair is absolutely terrible. Dua Lipa's appearance is short, but she does a great job that it made me miss seeing her. Sam Rockwell continues a trend in Hollywood where age can be defied as I forgot he is in his mid 50s following the likes of Tom Cruise and Jason Statham.

The movie is way too long and needed a better editor. I like a fleshed out story as much as the next person, but calm down movie.

Now, on to the fun. This movie makes the word "ridiculous" woefully inadequate. But it's a fun ridiculous. There are so many laugh out loud moments that it makes up for a lot of the flaws. I don't want to spoil the movie, but keep an eye out for the blink and you'll miss it hilarity.

There are themes explored in this film about motivation, and whether the emotions experienced during life's choices, even when told in the format of a spy thriller, would carry over if you got to do it all over again. Personally, I find that theory worth exploring, because I wonder if I'd make the same good or bad decisions if not exposed to certain stimuli or experiences. Nature vs nurture anyone? People admit that they would love to be able to speak to their younger selves to assure them that things would be better eventually, or to avoid pitfalls, but that's not good enough. One never knows if that would make any difference, unless you take away those moments.

I enjoyed the heck out of this movie overall, and recommend it for the silliness alone. Don't take the movie seriously, and I believe you will too. The entire, very long, ending sequence is just crazy with the suspension of disbelief, but embrace it.

No, this is not a masterpiece, but if you just wanna have fun and enjoy a movie where you don't have to feel like you're in film study and need to analyze every single scene, then you will have a good time with this movie. I truly do not understand why there are people out there that will only like a movie if it's the greatest movie ever made where every scene is a creation of pure brilliance that must be discussed for decades to come. I guess some people either can't enjoy something unless it's flawless or they're just unhappy and refuse to have fun. If you don't like the movie because it's just not for you, then all the power to you, I have no criticism for your criticism of the movie; we're all different and allowed to have our own opinions and preferences. It's the reviews I see where people are just stating vague things that they say make the movie bad and it honestly makes me feel happy because it reminds me that I'm the type of person who looks for the good, not the bad, and that I can find joy in many things. I hope you enjoy this movie or enjoyed it if you're reading this post watch. If you didn't, but your reasons are honest and true to yourself, then that's ok too. Love yourself. Love others. Bye.

Have you ever watched a movie thats so absurd and brainless that it actually works? Argylle belongs to that group - as Matthew Vaughns latest is gladly a crowd-pleasing action flick that is full of smart twists and epic action sequences. There's no doubt that it does get ridicule at times, with huge logic gaps and absurdity - but this movie embraces its silliness, dedicating its writing to plot-twists that are so well thought out that you would never guess them coming - making Argylle an action movie that stands out enough to be enjoyable.

When the movie started rolling, I at first couldn't get invested in its storyline. The narrative seemed generic andd full of irrefutable plot holes. However, I remembered Matthew Vaughns genius. What he sold us in Kick Ass and Kingsman were ridiculously entertaining and thoughtful action flicks, and I had hope Argylle was going to turn in to the same - and boy, it did. The best aspect of this movie is, no doubt, its incredible and provocative plot-twists which really add this sense of unpredictability to this film and keeps you smiling always. These really start to kick off from the half-hour mark - whenever you predict whats about to happen, we get the total opposite - and there's clever hints skillfully layered around foreshadowing and setting up these twists to make you smile when they happen. It's definitely arguable from another perspective that they aren't justified enough, as they do question more potential plot holes - however this is what adds to the unpredictability and distinct nature of this movie

The ensemble cast also just adds to the fun. Everyone does a great job, but Sam Rockwell's character is the most entertaining and easiest to root for.

This fun isn't without its issues, though - as its main one is its lack of any emotion or layers within our characters. They are often unconvincing and bland, with the only form of character dynamics coming from our protagonist and their partner in crime. Apart from that though, we have no reason to care for our characters, any of them in particular. The CGI is often horrific at times too. It shows its decency in some fight-scenes, but in others it is truly appalling.

Ultimately, and despite the movies issues, Argylle and It's absurd plot (that I don't want to talk about as there are just too many twists!) will keep all audiences engaged, purely thanks to Vaughn and the writing teams genius plot-twists that make this movie one to definitely check out, standing out from the hoard of movies in its genre. And thats just what we need from it, especially in this day and age where politics and global issues distract us from having a good time!

Matthew Vaughn is one of my favorite directors. He has three movies that are on my all-time favorites list: Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, and Kingsman: The Secret Service. I love his style and consider him a master filmmaker.

His last movie, The King's Man, was terrible. I gave it 2 stars. But no one is perfect and it's easy to forgive one misfire. But with Argylle, we have another severely disappointing entry. It's not nearly as bad as The King's Man, but that might be why it's even more disappointing. It could have been great.

Why doesn't Argylle work? Movies are so complex, it's difficult to answer that question. Here are my guesses. First, the humor and attempts to be quirky feel off. I only laughed once. Second, there are a few cool action scenes, but nothing to write home about.

Third, what idiot decided this should be PG-13? There are so many deaths, but they can't fully show it. So it feels neutered. They do this to sell more tickets, catering to the casuals. But my theater was nearly empty on opening night. So casuals didn't show up and you alienate your true fans. Fourth, for what amounts to a popcorn flick, I was fairly bored and unengaged.

But I think one thing hurt the movie more than anything else. This is a great cast except for one role. The most important one. The main character. I don't dislike Bryce Dallas Howard. But this was a horrendous casting choice. I can list out 30 actresses that would have been better suited for the role. It doesn't seem too bad early on, but the further we get into the story, the worse it gets. It's not even a tiny bit believable.

I still look forward to future Matthew Vaughn projects. But I just found out that his next movie is a sequel to The King's Man. Why????? I can only hope he reevaluates and tries to get back on track.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday UltraScreen 2/1/2024)