Red Sparrow (2018)

Waste of time

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

I watched this film and was heartbroken when I has to run to the cinemas bathroom halfway though (large drink), but when read some reviews people seem to hate this film because 'it's too violent', 'Lawrence is a bad actor', 'I don't like her Russian accent'. These excuses make NO sense to me, if you read the description of the film you know it will be extremely violent, J Lawrence's acting in this was superb, and unless you are Russian or have studied it extensively then shut up about the accent. This film has LOADS of twists and turns that don't make sense until later on, which is great for a spy thriller (I mean isn't that the point?), I hate how so many films these days seem to think that the audience is stupid and need to be force fed every action and thought, show don't tell, isn't that the point of going to see a film instead of reading a book?

Two-three sex scenes, plot are absolutely predictable: good are good, bad are bad. it's not a thriller. One of thousands meaningless films. Many mistakes. But the visual picture is ok. The only one reason to watch - sexy Jennifer Lawrence.Too many ridiculous things about Russia - now I'm not talking about government, intelligence or politics - no, that's a doubtful question, but russian cities (Moscow at the beginning, wasn't even shot there), russian way of living (apartments as an example).. so far away from real life, as always in american movies, we are used to this:)

The producers must think that the Russian intelligence services are a bunch of idiots if they're trying to sell us that a Red Sparrow , trained for three months only, will get a top officer killed just by moving some glasses around and by opening a fake bank account. The ONLY action scene was the only thing worth watching in this otherwise boring movie.

A majority of the filmmaking formalities behind Red Sparrow can be best described as solid effort. This features solid directing, solid performances, solid dialogue, solid tension building, solid atmosphere construction, and just an overall solidly crafted enigma. There isn't anything super special about it's technical approach, but it concisely works well. The story isn't explained obviously, and actually asks the viewers to pay attention to current events in order to follow along with the story, which I profoundly appreciated considering I respect films that don't treat their audiences as if they are idiots. Now, concerning the controversy behind the film, my personal opinion about issues like this is that despite how tough specific material may be expressed, especially in cinematic or novella format, an artist sometimes needs to use ominous visuals or subject matters in order to make their messages more apperent and belivable, so in many cases it's hard for me to get offended when an artist is just trying to make their film more effective (its sort of like how I perceived some of the hard to bear and truly nauseating sequences explored in David Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo). Even though, I would've preferred not seeing some of these particular scenes in Red Sparrow, at the end of the day, I learn and train myself to just accept that the overarching product is only just a movie, and that I shouldn't take it too seriously considering the fictional finatics behind it. Plus, it's not like the film is trying to glorify rape and torture, it's more so trying to show the terrors and disorder behind its existence in human society. If you are sensitive to the material however, I highly, highly recommend passing on this film. Now, my real issue with the film is more so the fact that I couldn't find enough substance to maintain a completely entitling and bearable attentiveness to the film's story. There isn't enough meat on the bones in this movie. It's just a decent story that drags and drags, and by the end of it, you're just kind of numb to what's occured. Okay, maybe you've been disturbed but by the end of it, the experience doesn't feel memorable. It's got a neat twist at the end of it, but by the time it happens, my mind kind of just shrugs it off a couple minutes after my viewing concludes. In no way is Red Sparrow as awful as people like to make it out to be, it's actually, I'd say, more fresh than rotten. In conclusion, it isn't anything I'd ever see again, however, I respect Francis Lawrence for making an unconventional spy thriller that you don't often see being made during these modern times. (Verdict: C+)