Gal Gadot also couldn’t save the $130 million movie
The action, spy movie “Heart of Stone” received a lot of criticism because of its outdated script. Even star Gal Gadot couldn’t save the movie.
Heart of Stone is the latest action project that Netflix invested in, after the movies Extraction 2, The Mother. The company wants to continue to prove that audiences don’t need to go to the theater to enjoy blockbusters at home.
With the participation of star Gal Gadot and a budget of more than $130 million, the work is expected to create a big bang when it is released. Unfortunately, the movie received a lot of criticism because of its bad script and outdated content.
The familiar idea of a female spy
In the movie, Gal Gadot plays the main character Rachel Stone. She is a member of Charter – an intelligence organization established with the mission of maintaining world peace.
This is where the best individuals gather, operating independently of global intelligence networks. They are also holding an AI (artificial intelligence) called Heart that can predict the future, control computer systems, and world information portals easily.
However, a hacker is plotting to steal Heart for his own purposes. Faced with that situation, Stone must use all his strength to find a way to stop this dangerous plan.
Gal Gadot’s appearance in the main role of Rachel Stone.
The story is simple, following the familiar motif of many works of the same genre. The idea is not new. The filmmakers want to build a spy story with a female main character. Previously, Hollywood has had many similar films such as Salt (2010), Atomic Blonde (2017), Red Sparrow (2018) …
The script has many details reminiscent of Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible series, from spy elements, action scenes to the characters using high-tech equipment to complete the mission.
The screenwriters have not been very creative in making Rachel Stone’s story more engaging. Even the AI element is similar to the story in Mission Impossible: Karma Part 1, which was released not long ago.
The inclusion of too many social issues and the influence of AI makes the film rambling and lacking in highlights. The fate and life of the female lead are also not clearly exploited, making it difficult for viewers to sympathize with the character.
Netflix’s old formula
Basically, the work still follows the common formula of many Netflix blockbusters such as Red Notice, The Gray Man, Extraction 2… The producers focus too much on the action and special effects without investing in the content and script.
The director of the project is British director Tom Harper – famous for Wild Rose (2018), The Aeronauts (2019), and the Peaky Blinders series. However, the filmmaker has almost no experience in making blockbusters with many intense action scenes.
Therefore, some segments in the film do not create a sense of authenticity. The explosion and chase scenes are quite formulaic. The director’s handling of the situation is simple, so the work lacks the element of surprise.
The filmmaker continuously takes viewers through many famous places in the world such as London, Lisbon, Senegal, Iceland… Each scene appears but does not have much impact on the story, just like beautiful paintings in the background.
Throughout the journey, the main character has to face many dangerous challenges. However, the female spy easily overcomes all obstacles, making the story less attractive because it is easy to predict.
In addition, the 122-minute duration makes the work lengthy. Many segments can be completely cut to make it shorter without affecting the content of the film.
Gal Gadot also cannot save the film
Taking on the main role of Stone, Gal Gadot has not really shined despite having many roles. The star herself has experience in many action movies such as Wonder Woman (2017), Justice League (2017), Red Notice (2021) … Therefore, she did not encounter many difficulties with the running and fighting scenes.
The biggest minus point is that Gal Gadot has not been able to build a unique character for the character. Her role still lacks personality, not much different from her appearance in Red Notice 2 years ago. The star has not shown any progress in her acting ability but is just repeating herself.
Despite her efforts, Gal Gadot could not help the character stand out more.
Besides Gal Gadot, the supporting cast in the movie is also lackluster. Jamie Dornan – the star of the Fifty Shades series – can barely get out of his role. He missed the opportunity to conquer the audience when appearing next to a top star like Gal Gadot.
Upon its release, Heart of Stone was immediately panned, rated “Rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes with 29% of critics and 56% of audiences. Its IMDb score was also low, at only 5.7/10. Most people considered this a forgettable film in Gal Gadot’s career.
