Apple TV+’s New Star-Studded Movie Faces Widespread Ridicule

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I seriously love Apple TV+. It’s important to get that out right away. Compared to Netflix, I believe I get much more value out of Apple’s streaming service. The content library, while smaller, consists of more shows and films that I actually enjoy. In contrast, Netflix often feels like a massive haystack where I occasionally find a few needles worth watching.

However, it’s disheartening to see Apple TV+ back in a familiar spot: facing ridicule over another high-profile movie release that, despite its star-studded cast and promising elements, just doesn’t come together as hoped. The latest film in question is “The Instigators,” set to premiere this weekend. Headed by Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, this movie has generated a lot of buzz, but not for the right reasons.

On paper, “The Instigators” seems like it has everything one could want. It features a well-regarded director, Doug Limon, known for “The Bourne Identity,” and a bankable cast including Damon and Affleck. The plot involves a daring heist aimed at robbing a corrupt politician, which should add some excitement. Unfortunately, this film appears to follow in the footsteps of other recent Apple feature films like “Napoleon” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” both of which fell short of expectations.

According to early reviews, “The Instigators” has garnered a disappointing 43% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 77 reviews as of its August 9 release date. Critics have described the film as “flat,” “disjointed,” and overall “uninspired.” One particularly harsh review from The Washington Post called it “101 minutes of talented people struggling to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear and coming up with a Filene’s Basement handbag.”

Regular viewers who attended early screenings haven’t been any kinder. The film holds a near-equally low 50% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. One reviewer who rated it 0.5/5 stars bluntly stated that the “plot was ridiculous and implausible, script was terrible and the language was foul — constant f-bombs.”

If you’re curious about the plot, Apple sums it up like this: “Rory (Matt Damon) and Cobby (Casey Affleck) are reluctant partners: A desperate father and an ex-con thrown together to pull off a robbery of the ill-gotten gains of a corrupt politician. But when the heist goes wrong, the two find themselves engulfed in a whirlwind of chaos, pursued not only by police but also by backwards bureaucrats and vengeful crime bosses. Completely out of their depth, they convince Rory’s therapist (Hong Chau) to join their riotous getaway through the city, where they must put aside their differences and work together to evade capture — or worse.”

It’s important to note that while this criticism may seem harsh, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Apple TV+ itself is the problem. The streaming landscape is tricky for many platforms. Netflix, for example, changed its film chief a few months ago to rethink its movie strategy, following a series of underwhelming releases. There could be something about adapting the movie experience to a small-screen format that loses its essence along the way.

However, saying that Apple TV+ has no quality films would be an unfair generalization. Despite the underperformance of “The Instigators,” the platform does have some solid movies (though some, like “Argylle,” are indeed very disappointing).

You can preview the film’s vibe and decide for yourself by watching the trailer for “The Instigators” below.

Source: BGR