आर्गाइल: सूपर स्पाय

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.

There are some movies to which you give 6 or 5 points. But you enjoy the film and find it entertaining. This is one of those films. The movie is extremely entertaining. I had a great time at the cinema. Yes, the effects in the film are terrible; yes, it is a parody; and yes, it is ridiculous. However, it was also absurdly funny and silly. I enjoyed it very much. As a movie, I believe it is average, but not bad. Of course, there are numerous clichés in the film. Many things could have been predicted. By the way, the film is a total twist show. Twists occur one after another, just like in spy films. I lost the seriousness of the movie in the first half hour of the movie. I started enjoying it. The acting isn't perfect, but I think it's spot-on for this movie. I have never seen Bryce Dallas Howard in this kind of role before. It suits her. They also made a great duo with Sam Rockwell. The action scenes in the movie are like those in the "Kingsman" movies, and the director is Matthew Vaughn, who directed those movies too. I didn't fully understand the mid-credit scene of the movie, but if the second movie comes out, I will definitely go. I have no objection to this movie being a series. One of the reasons I like the movie so much is the cat. Alfie, the cat, has many roles in the movie. I don't know which scenes were real and which scenes were CGI (a few were definitely CGI), but it was very funny and entertaining.

It's disappointing when a film has an intriguing premise but fails to deliver the goods in the end. Such is the case with director Matthew Vaughn's latest, an action-adventure/comedy about an author of spy novels (Bryce Dallas Howard) who stumbles into a real-life espionage scenario that matches the plot of her latest novel, embroiling her in a web of ever-shifting intrigue with various nefarious parties. The problem here is that the film never quite latches onto a dedicated focus to make the picture work. Some of the comic bits are indeed quite funny, but they frequently get bogged down by a meandering story line that's trying to follow a more conventional, twist-laden thriller format. It leaves viewers asking, "So what's it going to be?" There's also more than a little derivative material thrown in, such as story threads we've already seen before in movies like "Romancing the Stone" (1984), "The Long Kiss Goodnight" (1996) and any number of James Bond flicks. While it's true that this release is intended to be a spoof of these titles (especially in scenes featuring Henry Cavill as a hilariously hammy 007 knock-off), there's a big difference between paying tribute and playing unrepentant copycat. Then there's the picture's excessive length, coming in at a bloated 2:19:00 runtime, far longer than it needs to be, a failing attributable to an often-needlessly complicated plot, one that begins to try audience patience at times, especially in the back half. "Argylle" also features a cute, cuddly cat, Alfie, as a central character (at least in its trailer), but, like the narrative overall, the film doesn't quite seem to know what to do with the supposedly frisky, fickle feline, an impression far different from what's conveyed in the picture's video marketing. All of this is a shame, because this title has both potential and some apparent strengths going for it, such as a fine soundtrack, superbly choreographed action sequences, and an excellent ensemble cast with the likes of Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Ariana DeBose, and a seriously underused Richard E. Grant, not to mention fine turns from Howard and Cavill as alter-egos of one another. This one isn't nearly as bad as many critics have made it out to be, but it could have been substantially better with some significant retooling and judicious editing. "Argylle" apparently has ambitions to become a new franchise, too, but we'll have to see if that materializes based on what kind of box office draw it ultimately produces. At this point, though, I think it has its work cut out for it.

The film, considering it is a "Comedy" genre, is funny, has an intelligently developed plot, is well produced and directed, the actors are good... Anyway, if you want to have fun, watch this good comedy.

It's great to read the comments/reviews too... I can't help but imagine how many nice, sensitive people there are with a good sense of humor, and how pleasant it must be to be around them. On the other hand, when I read other people's comments, I can imagine the kind of people I wouldn't want to have around me.

Nowadays, it's very difficult to find a good movie. I like any genre, as long as the movie is good... It can even be a horror movie. And the movie "Argylle" is, without a doubt, a good comedy!

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)