Watching this film adapted from the novel felt like deja vu of some good novels adapted into TV series or movies, either the scripts were not good enough to match up the original novels, or the leading key characters turned out terrible miscast. Michael Connelly's "Harry Bosch" series was totally ruined by the wrong cast of the guy who played Bosch in a lousy TV series, all the supporting actors, especially the female ones were even worse, female detectives or female city employees all looked in a fashion show, with perfect hairstyles, over the top make-up, tailored costumes...But worst of all, is the miscast of Harry Bosch, completely ruined the personification of the large-than-life Harry Bosch in the novels. The other worst nightmarish miscast was Tom Cruise played Jack Reacher of Lee Child's Jack Reacher series. Tom Cruise completely ruin the image of Jack Reacher in the novels.
Here, in "Red Sparrow", we got the same situation again. Either Jennifer Lawrence looked too old or the actress who played her mother looked too young. If you have read the two original novels, "Red Sparrow" and "Palace of Treason", Jennifer Lawrence didn't look or feel like what the leading character in the novels, far from it. Then Joel Edgerton especially, a wrong cast. Not only he didn't make me feel like the leading male character in the novel, he didn't have any believable chemistry with Jennifer Lawrence. The roles they played in this movie didn't click or sparkle to become lovers. The man Joel Edgerton played should be more attractive or handsome, a guy so smart and so aggressively headstrong ambitious, sometimes even careless but with toughness and guts. The novels showed it, but Edgerton didn't even come close. Furthermore, all the supporting actors didn't even have the chance to show us they are A-list actors, because the screenplay was not good at all.
I've found myself very impatient to sit tight to watch along. I even constantly lost interest to focus on the screen, distracted a lot. I totally agree with the low ratings and all those negative movie critics given so far to this movie. I had the same experience when I watched "Atomic Blonde".
Rent it when DVD comes out, not worth paying mucho dineros for cinema seats.
