The reviews have come pouring in for Red Notice and though it's largely an even split, many critics are praising the film for its fun, nostalgic, action movie mayhem. The film is the third time Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has teamed with director Rawson Marshall Thurber, after Central Intelligence and Skyscraper. The other A-listers completing the trio at the head of the film are Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot, with the supporting cast including Chris Diamantopoulos and Ritu Arya. After starting a run in limited theaters tomorrow, November 5, Red Notice releases on Netflix the following Friday, November 12.
In Red Notice, The Rock plays FBI profiler John Hartley, Gadot the world's most-wanted art thief, Sarah Black (AKA The Bishop), and Reynolds the world's second most-wanted art thief, Nolan Booth. The Bishop is in the middle of a scheme to steal the invaluable Cleopatra eggs, and Hartley enlists the help of Booth to track her down in time to save them. Comic action set-pieces ensue, and if the fact that Red Notice is reportedly the most expensive film Netflix has ever released is any indication, things are going to get explosive.
Red Notice is currently sitting at 56% on Rotten Tomatoes with 16 critic reviews. Among the 10 Top Critics who have published on it so far, it's even more evenly split at exactly 50%. However, the reviews from some of the most trusted publications listed on the aggregator seem to be more forgiving of the film's flaws. Check out select quotes from some of the film's reviews below:
Peter Debruge, Variety
We’re squarely in ’80s and ’90s action-movie territory here, and Thurber (who took improbability to new heights with the Rock-starring Skyscraper) certainly knows how to deliver wild and well-choreographed fights, chases and other stunt-driven set-pieces. [...] The influence of Indiana Jones is undeniable on Thurber’s splashy travelogue, which also channels retro favorites like James Cameron’s True Lies (including a sexy tango in which a big lug in a tuxedo — Johnson, not Schwarzenegger in this case — makes himself irresponsibly conspicuous while undercover).
David Ehrlich, IndieWire
There’s precious little in Red Notice that people haven’t seen Johnson do before (with the possible exception of the part when his character name-checks 19th-century Scottish artist William Strang), but at least his latest attempt at a swashbuckling throwback is liberated from the sort of waterlogged mythology that sank Disney’s Jungle Cruise. Enjoyably cartoonish set pieces keep the movie light on its feet, a carousel of exotic locations make sure you never have to think about the MacGuffin, and Reynolds — in a rare display of discretion — only calls his co-star “baldilocks” once. In 2021, that counts as some kind of win.
Dan Jolin, Empire
Ironically for a movie that’s all about twists, turns, cons and double-crosses, Rawson Marshall Thurber’s Red Notice is rather lacking in surprises. And we mean that in the nicest possible way. [...] Thanks to those stars’ incredible likeability, it’s comfort-viewing primarily, with Johnson and Reynolds bickering and battling in a variety of exotic locations, including Rome, Bali, Valencia, and a jungle (Johnson’s sixth now?) in Argentina.
Benjamin Lee, The Guardian
The rat-a-tat back-and-forth between sworn enemies turned begrudging buddies Johnson and Reynolds is strikingly, embarrassingly unfunny and rapidly grating, thanks mostly to a spectacularly annoying turn from the latter, reheating his Deadpool and Free Guy shtick but with even less effective writing to play with.
David Rooney, THR
You can’t argue with the muscular marquee value of headlining Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot in a slick, fast-paced action thriller laced with playful comedy, even if it’s an empty-calorie entertainment like Red Notice. Like many Netflix star vehicles, writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber’s busy crime caper has more glossy industrial sheen than unique personality. But it’s diverting enough to justify the sequel so clearly set up in its final scenes, even if it’s unlikely to linger in the minds of many viewers beyond the end credits.
Although the film's score will likely change once it drops on Netflix and further reviews are released, it is seeming likely that it will remain split. If it fails to clear the 60%-positivity bar, it will be officially designated Rotten - even if that technically means that only half of the critics who see the film enjoy it, which isn't necessarily a bad sign. However, given its cast, Red Notice is a film that is very likely to generate big numbers for the streamer regardless of its critical reception.
Likewise, the gulf between critics' reviews and audience scores tends to be larger for crowd-pleasing genres like action. Netflix also has a history of making successes out of this type of movie. In fact, several films that are included in their top 10 most-viewed original films have Rotten scores, such as 6 Underground (36%) and Murder Mystery (44%), so Red Notice is perfectly capable of joining their top performers.
Source: Various (see links above)
