ghost review [Apple TV+] – Review in FilmTotaal

Director: Dexter Fletcher | Script: Chris McKenna, Rhett Reese, Erik Sommers, and Paul Wernick Cast: Chris Evans (Cole Turner), Ana de Armas (Sadie Rhodes), Adrien Brody (Leveque), others | Time to play: 116 minutes | Year: 2023

An unsuspecting plant breeder falls head over heels for a plain-clothes spy. ghost refers to the ungrateful fate of the infatuated Cole after the first date, because global missions and the price on your head, of course, cannot go hand in hand with a lasting relationship. Or is that it? Inspiration probably dried up for the creators of this rom-com spy, who leaned too heavily on the star status and charms of Chris Evans and Ana de Armas.

The first meeting with the right one is too good to be true for Cole: a stunning and self-assured woman wants to go to the museum after a first date for coffee, sings the stars in the sky in karaoke and even opens the door after a while. front door hesitation. If only he’d been a little more suspicious when Sadie seemed to easily outrun him during a stair-climbing contest. Not that he couldn’t have won it otherwise, but in this case the scene should be a clue. Ana de Armas has already starred in a Bond movie for a reason.

When Sadie’s silence leads Cole to desperate text messages after his dream date, the writers of ghost twisting in a crazy way to get him back on track. In the shadow of London’s Tower Bridge, Cole, innocent in herself, is reluctantly introduced to the life of a spy. By sheer coincidence, the breeder is now a target, and catchphrases like “you got the wrong person” will no longer be very effective.

You might think the movie leans quite a bit in terms of tone when the first romantic encounter culminates in an international espionage plot. Nothing could be further from the truth, because even during the shooting and fencing, Cole and Sadie still have plenty of time to settle their relationship disputes. Thanks in part to the cartoonish villain (Adrien Brody in a half-French accent), the intrigue about the impending sale of a biochemical weapon is just getting off the ground, but director Dexter Fletcher (rocketman) doesn’t seem to bother either: in ghost it is about the playful interplay of Evans and de Armas.

Evans has proven time and time again that he embraces drama and romance as easily as muscle work, and the transition from civilian existence to bombastic action violence comes naturally to him. De Armas is better in the movie sequel, if she can play a version of the female 007 and not just be the ungrateful love interest. It’s an achievement in itself that he can switch seemingly effortlessly between such a nauseating cocktail of trauma and controversy as Blond and this kind of light-hearted entertainment.

So it’s not necessarily the leads, but more the writing and stylization: lyrics like “I’m just a farmer, not a super spy” are complemented by tailor-made pop songs (Love Is Everywhere, Thinkin’ About Last Night). The action-packed finale, which was shot on the only (genuinely) sensational filming location, takes the cake in that regard. Out of nowhere, the action choreography fits into the sounds of Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk, which are also traded in for composer Lorne Balfe’s pompous, generic action music.

Admittedly, with adjusted expectations and an extra grain of salt, Cole and Sadie’s wacky love story seems easy, but even so the script is shallower than you can do for Evans and de Armas. If the direction also excels in laziness, a big budget and two stars are not enough for a quality poster.

ghost can be seen in AppleTV+.