There’s no point in even trying to deny that Red Notice wasn’t a hugely successful undertaking on Netflix’s part seeing as it reigns as the streaming service’s most-watched original movie of all-time, but you can also state an equally strong argument that it’s easily one of the most forgettable features to ever come bearing such an eye-watering price tag.
Ironically, the exact same sentiment could also be applied to The Gray Man, which also happens to be a costly Netflix exclusive bearing a star-studded cast and a high concept espionage-tinged premise that takes place all over the world, but that’s more indicative of the company’s approach to identikit epics than anything else.
The combined star power of Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot was more than enough to make Red Notice appointment viewing, but if you asked somebody what the actual plot of the film was and waited for them to explain it in great deal, how many would even be able to recall the events that unfolded across its interminable 118 minutes?
For what it’s worth, the narrative is flimsy at best and leans heavily into exposition and MacGuffins, but that’s not why Netflix made Red Notice, nor is it the reason so many people checked it out. However, it does go to show that not even the most successful in-house efforts in the streamer’s history can secure any sort of longevity that lasts beyond four weeks, with Rawson Marshall Thurber’s crime caper making its first appearance on the most-watched charts for a very long time this week.
Per FlixPatrol, Red Notice has sneaked back onto the rankings in a measly two countries, but at least folks are opting to revisit the prospective franchise-launcher that’s already running the risk of being lost to the sands of time only 18 months on.
