Argylle Destroyed by Critics: $200 Million Matthew Vaughn Spy Movie Starring Dua Lipa, Bryce Dallas Howard and Henry Cavill Labeled One of the 'Worst Movies Ever Made' in Brutal Reviews

Matthew Vaughn's highly anticipated big budget film Argylle – designed to kick off a new blockbuster spy series – has been savaged by film critics, with one labeling the film as one of the 'worst films ever made'.

The film, which features a star-studded cast including Bryce Dallas Howard, Dua Lipa, Henry Cavill and Samuel L. Jackson, and cost Apple Original Films an eye-watering $200 million, has been universally panned in reviews released Wednesday.

Based on a recently published book of the same name, it follows introverted spy writer Elly Conway (played by Howard) who is drawn into the real world of espionage when the plots of her books get a little too close to her activities. a sinister underground syndicate.

The film was called 'one of the most expensive worst films ever made' by Katie Walsh from Tribune News Serviceand currently has a rating of 37% Rotten tomatoes.

“One of the most chaotically stupid action films to torture audiences in a long time,” says Barry Hertz Globe and mail said about the movie.

Another reviewer called it “one of the most chaotically stupid action films to torture audiences in a long time.”

'The comedic touch is almost as heavy-handed as the slow-motion-drenched action is boring, seemingly designed primarily to answer the question, “How many movie stars can one fiasco waste?”' Nick Schager of The everyday beast asked.

“A talented cast trapped in an endless story with a fake cat,” says Matt Singer ScreenCrush joked.

David Fear of Rolling stone kept his review simple and to the point, writing: 'Argylle is a bad movie. A very, very bad movie.'

“It's all starting to feel like one of those very expensive, very elaborate commercials for a pseudo-luxury product you don't want to buy — a perfume, perhaps, or a car,” wrote Leslie Felperin of the Hollywood reporter.

Meanwhile, Carla Hay is out Cultural mix called the film, “An incoherent, bloated mess filled with stupid plot twists, terrible dialogue, and a gimmicky cat that looks fake for most of the movie.” Henry Cavill is not the protagonist. Argylle is mainly Sam Rockwell who plays smug and Bryce Dallas Howard who is terrified.'

Meanwhile, Bryce's performance was called “terrible.” The guards Peter Bradshaw.

“Here, through terrible anti-alchemy direction, he has produced a terrible starring role from Bryce Dallas Howard as spy writer Elly Conway, whose creations eerily mirror real life.”

“She looks waxy, inert, and uncomfortable; it's as if she's wearing ground glass contact lenses, with a dull, blurry quality that doesn't explain or excuse the script's big twist,” he wrote.

However, some critics praised Bryce's performance as the film's saving grace. “Howard does her best to keep things lively, but she's hampered by dull characterization,” notes Richard Lawson of Vanity fair.

He adds: 'Argylle tries desperately to be kicky, twisty and raw, but above all it feels like a chore, a slog through painful jokes and canned charisma.'

'There's way too much CGI. It's half an hour longer than even the most tolerant Vaughn fan will allow. And yet. Howard is so irrepressibly charming that it proves difficult to completely resist Argylle,” Donald Clarke of the Irish times wrote.

Sam Rockwell and Bryan Cranston also received praise for their roles.

“How many movie stars can one fiasco waste?” The Daily Beast's Nick Schager asked about the film, which has a star-studded cast

The film currently has a 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes; Samuel L. Jackson seen in a still

Meanwhile, Bryce Howard Dallas' performance was called “terrible” by The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw, who wrote that she looks “waxy, inert and uncomfortable.”

Sam Rockwell and Bryan Cranston also received praise for their roles; Cranston seen in a still life

The film, based on an adaptation of a recently published book of the same name by a writer also called Elly Conway, will be released on February 2.

The film stars Cavill as lead agent Argylle opposite femme fatale Dua Lipa in her feature film debut.

It was first announced in June 2021, with a script adapted from the novel before it was even published.

'When I read this early draft manuscript, I felt that it was the most incredible and original spy franchise since Ian Fleming's books of the 1950s. This is going to reinvent the spy genre,” Vaughn said.

There were even rumors that 34-year-old singer Taylor Swift was the secret novelist behind the book, although Vaughn has since shut down that conspiracy.

Little has been shared about author Elly Conway – whose name is used for Bryce's character in the film, and spelled interchangeably as Ellie and Elly in promotional materials.

On the Penguin website, Elly's biography simply reads: “She lives in the United States and is currently working on the next installment in the series.” Elly's Instagram account is empty – she only follows one person: her agent Eric Reid.

The film is scheduled for release on February 2, 2024.