Red notice: Why Netflix biggest movie can’t stop shattering records

Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Writer: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Running Time: 1h 58m

Genres: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller

The announcement that Netflix will spend $200 million producing ‘Red notice’ raised eyebrows within the movie industry. The cost of production was the highest to be spent on a movie by the online streaming platform. The announcement of the cast which included Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot aggravated the scepticism among movie critics while the delay in the release date due to the lockdown measures at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak further fuelled incredulity in the industry.  But since it was released in November after a brief theatrical cameo, it has been shattering records. Though some movie critics had rated it low it has received the blessings of the fans, which could be to the delight of the producers. The responses have also heightened calls for a sequel.

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‘Red notice’ according to Netflix was number one among the top movies seen on the online steaming media in 93 countries including Nigeria. It has more than 148 million views in its first week of release beating all other movies released on the platform. It is still among the top ten movies seen in Nigeria on Netflix. The film benefitted from the chemistry between the lead characters in Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot. During an interview before the release of the movie, Dwayne said he had known Ryan for 20 years, the person he had known the longest in Hollywood. Netflix had reaped from the unrivalled display by the cast and the glowing reviews quite justified the huge investment of Netflix in the movie.

The assessments also thrilled Dwayne who could not hide his excitement on his Instagram account with a scene from the movie where he was imprisoned in Russia alongside Ryan. He posted: “Here’s my slick talking frenemy @vancityreynolds and I, giving you a taste of why RED NOTICE has officially become THE BIGGEST MOVIE IN THE HISTORY OF NETFLIX!!! In under two weeks, we’ve shattered all records and we have many weeks to go. THANK YOU GUYS and enjoy RED NOTICE this weekend around the world.”

Forbes magazine described it as a monster hit. Forbes says, “The film boasts a wild disparity between critics and audiences, a 35 per cent rotten score compared to a rock-solid (no pun intended) 92 per cent audience score. It is not exactly clear what the disconnect is there, but audiences liked the heist comedy in a way critics did not. And in the end, audiences are what matter, and this has been an unequivocal win for Netflix and will almost certainly get a sequel or three out of this massive run. It remains the number one movie on the service.”

Cinemapointer, one of Nigeria’s fiercest movie review handles on Instagram recommended the movie. The handle posted, “Didn’t go in thinking this would make sense, but. Surprise! Surprise! ‘Red Notice’ is excitement raised to power 10. Been a while we’ve enjoyed an action-comedy this much. Everything here is pristine top of the line fun. ‘Red Notice’ boasts great action sequences, albeit with a kiddy tilt i.e. no one dies. No blood flows. Regardless, highly enjoyable, serious looking & satisfying even for vets. Acting performances take largely the same tone, serious.

“And the dialogue isn’t irritatingly skewed towards being comedic, resulting in bits that are genuinely funny and ignite effortless laughter. It also boasts a blockbuster level heist & a monster twist with a mean uppercut. You can already tell; we enjoyed this – Wholesomely.”

The New York Time as with some other reviewing channels said for a heist movie seemingly planting the seeds for a franchise in the vein of “The Mummy” or “National Treasure” movies, there’s no sense of discovery, no anticipatory thrills as our heroes find and connect the clues. Uninterested in world-building or creating any sense of stakes, “Red Notice” is merely an expensive brandishing of star power — only the stars haven’t got it in them.”

Cast: Agent John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson), Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds), Sarah Black/Bishop (Gal Gadot), Urvashi Das (Ritu Arya), Sotto Voce (Chris Diamantopoulos) Tambwe (Ivan Mbakop) Security Chief Ricci (Rafael Petardi)