Matthew Vaughn’s recent release, “Argylle,” has encountered a challenging start, securing a debut score of 37% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, categorizing it as “rotten.” This marks a new low for Vaughn, falling below his previous film, 2021’s “The King’s Man,” which scored 40%. The only other Vaughn-directed film labeled as “rotten” is 2017’s “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” with a score of 50%. Conversely, Vaughn’s highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes is the original in the franchise, 2014’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” certified fresh at 75%.
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes have not held back in their negative assessments of “Argylle.” Barry Hertz from Globe and Mail described it as “one of the most chaotically stupid action movies to torture audiences in ages,” while Rolling Stone’s David Fear bluntly labeled it a “very, very bad movie.”
Patrick Cavanaugh from ComicBook.com criticized the film as “overlong and uninspired,” lacking in its use of the cast and falling short as an imitation of Vaughn’s more captivating spy stories. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich suggested that the PG-13 rating may have harmed the film, noting a discord between Vaughn’s humor and the rom-com energy of Jason Fuchs’ script.
Despite the critical reception, audience reactions might differ, as seen in cases like the notable contrast in reviews and audience scores for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in 2023. Some critics, including Maggie Lovitt from Collider, found “Argylle” enjoyable, branding it as “the perfect date movie, even if the date is with yourself.”
Directed by Matthew Vaughn and scripted by Jason Fuchs, “Argylle” follows the narrative of a spy novelist (Bryce Dallas Howard) rescued by a secret agent (Sam Rockwell), unveiling that the fictional character from her books (Henry Cavill) is more tangible than imagined. The film boasts a star-studded cast, featuring Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Dua Lipa, Louis Partridge, and Ariana DeBose.
“Argylle” is scheduled for an official theatrical release on February 2, 2024.
