“Matchbox: The Movie: Key art featuring Arturo Castro, Teyonah Paris, Jessica Biel, John Cena and Sam Richardson.
Apple TV
Matchbox: the filmJohn Cena’s action comedy, inspired by Mattel’s line of classic toy cars, is towed to the film’s junkyard by Rotten Tomatoes reviews.
Directed by Sam Hargrave (Extraction), Matchbox the movie begins streaming on Apple TV Thursday. Cena plays Sean, an undercover CIA agent who returns to his small hometown to reunite with his childhood best friends, only to drag them with him on an intense global quest to save the world when a nuclear warhead goes missing.
Rated PG-13, Matchbox: the film also stars Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris, Arturo Castro, Danai Gurira, Bill Camp, Kristofer Hivju and Corey Stoll.
The review embargo for Matchbox: the film Up at 12:00 p.m. PT/9:00 a.m. PT on Thursday and currently the film has a 20% “rotten” review score on Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer based on 10 reviews. RT Review consensus, audience summary and Popcornmeter score based on verified user reviews are still pending.
Matchbox: the film is the latest film inspired by a Mattel toy line in recent years. The 2023 blockbuster from director Greta Gerwig barbiestarring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, enjoyed huge success with critics and audiences alike, earning an 88% “fresh” review score on RT and $1.447 billion at the worldwide box office.
The latest Mattel-inspired film, 2026 Masters of the Universewasn’t so lucky, earning a 68% “fresh” review score on RT and $113.7 million in worldwide ticket sales.
Note: The RT review score for “Matchbox: The Movie” will be adjusted as more reviews are posted to the site.
What do individual reviews say about “Matchbox: The Movie”?
Brandon Yu from The New York Times is among RT’s reviews who gives Matchbox: the film a “rotten” score, writing: “This adaptation of a brand lacking a distinct conceptual identity was perhaps always doomed to failure.”
AV Club’s Simon Abrams is also not a fan of the film, writing in his “rotten” RT review summary, “The biggest problem with Matchbox: the film isn’t a stupid, by-the-numbers action movie, but rather that it doesn’t know how to be both a parody of that kind of movie and an emotionally resonant defense of group play that sparks camaraderie.
David Ehrlich of IndieWire also gives Matchbox: the film a “rotten” score on RTwriting: “The film makes its way from Casablanca to Budapest with all the urgency of a Friday afternoon work meeting, even if it is sporadically enlivened by occasional appearances by Kristoffer Hivju and Golshifteh Farahani. »
Variety Critic Guy Lodge is somewhat complimentary in his “rotten” view of the film on RTwriting: “Although not without occasional charm, Matchbox: the film it just doesn’t feel like an adult film, no matter how big or flashy it is.
Nagier Rooms Great Gold Belt Media is among RT the critics who give Matchbox: the film a “fresh” score, writing: “It takes the sandbox joy of toy cars and builds a live-action adventure around stunts, jokes, friendship, familiar genre rhythms and lots of charm.” »
Matchbox: the film is new to Apple TV.
Gn entert
