Visionary filmmaker Mathew Voughn, director of the Kingsman movies, has created a brand new action comedy: Argylle. Released on February 2nd, Argylle opened to mixed reviews from both critics and audiences, and a steady flow at the box office.
Starring Bryce Dallas Howard as reclusive author Elly Conway, the story focuses on her as she’s thrust into a world of espionage by Aiden, a spy played by Sam Rockwell. His mission is to have her write the next chapter of her new book, as the events she’s writing about are seemingly coming to life in the real world.
The movie had some really nice marketing with its first poster being that of a cat in a backpack. The first trailer really caught my attention, and after having played in front of almost every movie I went to see for months I decided it was worth the watch. The movie was really funny and the story was as interesting as it was presented. But is it possible for a story to be too interesting? The trailer had made it seem simple: writer is writing book, book is coming to life, hilarity ensues. The film stuck with the premise in its first half, but after that it started introducing plot twist after plot twist, with one scene legitimately having three massive plot twists within minutes of each other.
So yes, the story did become very convoluted, very quickly. Is that a bad thing? It depends on who is asked. Many critics and audiences were annoyed and confused, while others were delighted and excited. I was confused and excited. On one hand, the plot twists were abundant and unnecessary, but on the other hand the film was an action comedy, not just action. The twists could be humorous, and the movie didn’t take itself too seriously.
Overall it was a fun time, and in a world of remakes and sequels, watching an original movie was refreshing and amazing. So go ahead, have fun and watch Argylle. Just keep in mind that Henry Cavill and John Cena are top billed and front and center on the poster, despite the fact that they have about five minutes of screentime.
