Rating of
4/4
I Was Excited, and I Was Rewarded
Terry - wrote on 11/07/23
I watched this the month it came out. I rewatched quite recently. Do you know what happened? I still had fun watching. You wonder if four stars is a bit too generous, but I don't care because I found it a lot more fun than a lot of recent movies that trade passion for demeaning statements and dry acting. Although some of the twists can feel predictable, I didn't anticipate the big twist near the end and I really liked the character development for Ryan Reynolds' character, who was pretty much just Ryan Reynolds but a master heist thief as a bonus. We had movies coming out in 2021 and 2022 that tried to capture and sense of wonder and/or awe, but failed, whereas this movie was just trying to be entertaining, and I'd say it more than succeeded. I find the best actor from the main three to be Ryan Reynolds, but I personally loved Gal Gadot in this movie and I thought Dwayne Johnson was pretty good as the more serious and easily annoyed partner of the duo. I mean, Eternals came out this year, and legions of MCU and superhero fans were sorely disappointed by the hazardous and passionless film that movie was. Uncharted also came out after Red Notice, in 2022, and that movie could never live up to the games and it really failed at being an Uncharted project. When the trailer came out, Red Notice had a hype, but not as big as a new MCU movie or an adaptation of a beloved video game series. Red Notice didn't have to live up to such high expectations, but the expectations it did have it rewarded the viewers for watching every minute of it. I also find it quite funny. Sure, Ryan just plays Ryan with an appetizing side of master thief, but I still really liked his attitude and humorous moments. Did some tension get undercut by his humor? I wouldn't say that, I think his humor alleviated some tension, but in a good way. I also must say this movie is very well shot and it felt very dynamic and immersive at times. My favorite part is the scene or series of scenes with the waterfall and the reveal within the location. I know some things might feel unrealistic, but I still found it believable, which is what I want if it's doesn't strike me as wholly realistic. I really liked the prison escape scene as well, and I couldn't help but be entertained by pretty much every action scene in the movie. It's just fun in the end, and if you don't want that at the moment you could check out something super impactful and deeply philosophical like the two Blade Runner films. However, if you want to just have a fun viewing, I recommend this movie as a way to just have a good time and not worry about your life. Overall, I don't have much of a problem with any part of the movie, and I will probably never stop liking it.
