Red Sparrow Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

4. The Plot Is Generic & Convoluted

Though the marketing suggested that the film might be a unique spin on familiar espionage material, at its core this is a disappointingly over-familiar tale about sexy spies playing with fire, and the litany of allegiance-shifts and dead bodies that follow.

For the most part the film follows fairly conventional spy thriller tropes, and because it's eager to speed through Dominika's recruitment, the whole set-up feels contrived and a bit of a tough sell.

Spy thrillers are often over-complicated on purpose, and that's at least partly the intent here, but where it matters, the movie might have you rolling your eyes or sighing rather than marvelling at how clever it all is.