"Red Sparrow" Makes About as Much Sense as Its Name

Why do they call it Red Sparrow?  Aside from Jennifer Lawrence wearing a terrific red dress (aside from the sleeves) early in the movie, your guess is as good as mine.  There isn't anything particularly special about a sparrow--they're merely small seed-eating birds that can very easily be mistaken for a finch.  Additionally, none of the characters that become a Sparrow participate in any sparrow-like activities.  Indeed, they cannot do "whatever a [sparrow] can."  I mean, at least comic books are accurate with their character names. Spider-Man, Batman, Black Panther, Catwoman, Ant-Man, Wolverine, Falcon, Scorpion, Doctor Octopus, Penguin...Red Sparrow?  How'd that one slip through the system?  I realize this is a spy movie and not a comic book movie, but the name should at least make sense!  Am I wrong?  It's like Ovaltine.  Why do they call it Ovaltine?  The mug is round.  The jar is round.  They should call it Round-tine.

Now, while that may seem like a tangent, it actually brings me back to my original point.  My point being that Red Sparrow is about as clear as its name.

Let me break it down for you.  I didn't hate Red Sparrow--truly, I didn't.  I listened to a review on NPR and read several online, and they were much harsher than me.  I know--that may seem hard to believe, but I promise it's true.  There were redeeming aspects of it, but the notion that it's a spy movie that will stand the test of time would be a dubious one at best.

Starting with the positives, I will say that Joel Edgerton brought a good performance, and worked alongside Jennifer Lawrence in a more positive manner than I would have expected.  I keep almost forgetting about him, but it doesn't appear Hollywood is getting rid of him.  For me, he's gained a reputation of being somewhat of a Dark Horse actor.  You'd probably recognize him from his roles in Warrior with Tom Hardy or The Great Gatsby alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.  Furthermore, Jeremy Irons' Russian accent was actually respectable, and he was far more interesting than his useless rendition of Alfred in Batman v. Superman and Justice League.  

I saw a trailer for Red Sparrow highlighting the fact it has "an ending you won't see coming."  Aside from the fact that the majority of poster/commercial quotes are completely bogus, that one, at least, renders true.  I'm usually decent at predicting endings to movies or twists in TV shows, but I definitely couldn't have seen this one coming with a million guesses.  However, the reason as to why that's the case probably isn't going to come as good news.  Continuing with the positives, however, I will award some points for rendering more creativity to a spy narrative than--well--the vast majority of spy films.

The first surprise Red Sparrow delivers is the fact that the action and the suspense are extremely secondary.  Nothing found within its advertisements point to it being dialogue-driven, yet lo and behold:  Talking.  Lots of it.  In Russian accents, I'll add.  If you thought watching Peaky Blinders was difficult because of their thick British accents, you're in for a ride.  Anyway, there were elements of intensity and brutality within Red Sparrow, but not nearly to the levels of which I wanted.

Speaking of accents, they're not a strong suit for Jennifer Lawrence.  Don't get me wrong, I think J-Law is a terrific actress and absolutely deserved her Oscar for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook.  I didn't care for the Hunger Games movies, but not because of her.  However, her attempt at a Russian accent is abysmal at worst and amateur at best.  Plus, half the time she slipped in and out of it; but even when she was "in" it she wasn't believable.  On the bright side, though, you get to see a lot of her, and she is still mighty fine.

My biggest issue with Red Sparrow, though, is that it is so intertwined and convoluted that it becomes taxing.  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  Twists are hard.  Keeping the audience guessing is difficult; I get it.  However, Red Sparrow incorporates so many turns and shifts in the narrative that after a certain point you just can't take it seriously anymore.  Once you take so many turns, they stop being surprising.  Maybe that's what they were going for, but a couple turns here and there and the final reveal would have sufficed; and, frankly, been more enjoyable.  I was glad I didn't go to the movie alone, because it took two of us talking throughout and after the movie to put all the pieces together.  Granted, one of those minds was mine, but that's beside the point.  The point is that being convoluted merely for the sake of being convoluted is just poor movie-making and isn't fun for anyone.

I wouldn't say this movie is terrible, but it's definitely forgettable.  Jennifer Lawrence has stated that she's going to "take a break" from acting for a year or so for...some activism thing.  Or something.  I have no idea.  All I know is she must think anyone cares what celebrities have to say about politics, which I find hilarious.  Maybe she's just going to go home and re-think her life.  And, hopefully, we'll be treated with something better next year.  Until then, she and Red Sparrow can walk away with a 56%, and I'll choose to remember her by a couple of her earlier roles.  

That said, you should still check this thing out on 

Especially since you'll probably have to rewind it repeatedly to make sure you follow everything.