The new high-budget spy movie “Argylle,” with its ensemble of prominent actors, has faced an onslaught of negative reviews from critics. The film, which marks director Matthew Vaughn’s latest venture, was intended to be the beginning of a major new franchise in the spy genre but instead has attracted critique for its execution.
With a production budget reported to be in the vicinity of $200 million, funded by Apple Original Films, expectations were sky-high for Argylle. It boasts an impressive lineup, featuring known Hollywood faces such as Bryce Dallas Howard, global pop sensation Dua Lipa, ‘”Man of Steel” star Henry Cavill and veteran actor Samuel L. Jackson.
Critique of the movie has been severe, with Tribune News Service’s Katie Walsh labeling it “one of the most expensive worst movies ever made.” This sentiment is reflected in its Rotten Tomatoes score, which stands at 37%.
“Its comic touch almost as heavy-handed as its slow-motion-drenched action is dull, it seems primarily designed to answer the question, “How many movie stars can one fiasco squander?’” Nick Schager of The Daily Beast asked.
David Fear from Rolling Stone wrote “Argylle is a bad movie. A very, very bad movie.”
“It all starts to feel like one of those very expensive, very elaborate commercials for a pseudo-luxury product you don’t want to buy — a perfume perhaps, or some car,” wrote Leslie Felperin from the Hollywood Reporter.
Carla Hay from Culture Mix called the movie, “An incoherent, bloated mess filled with stupid plot twists, awful dialogue, and a gimmicky cat that looks fake for most of the movie. Henry Cavill is not the main star. Argylle is mostly Sam Rockwell acting smug and Bryce Dallas Howard acting terrified.”