Kate Beckinsale’s new movie Canary Black was released on Prime Video on October 24 – and is already receiving mixed reviews.

The movie is coming CIA agent Avery Graves (Beckinsale), who was blackmailed by terrorists into betraying her country in order to save her kidnapped husband. The synopsis continues: “Isolated from her team, she turns to her underworld contacts to help locate the coveted intelligence the kidnappers want. As she’s betrayed at every turn, Avery finds herself in a deadly race to deliver a ransom that could trigger. a global crisis”.

Directed by Pierre Morel, the director best known for action packed Taken and From Paris With Love, Canary Black marks Beckinsale’s latest entry into the spy thriller genre. Despite the actor’s dedication to the role, critics seem divided on whether the film lives up to its potential. Newsweek emailed spokespeople for Beckinsale and Prime Video for comment outside of normal business hours on Friday.

Conformable shellthe film falls short, with critic William Bibbiani describing it as “neither thrilling nor dramatic enough to qualify as entertainment”. He compared the experience to a fast food order gone wrong, suggesting that viewers looking for something beyond the basic action may be disappointed.

“Pressing play on an action movie, like Canary Black it’s like ordering at McDonald’s. You’ve already agreed to lower your standards so you don’t end up complaining that it’s ultra-processed junk food. That’s what you signed up for. You wanted comfort in the middle of the road, and that’s what you have a right to expect,” Bibbiani wrote.

“But we’ve all been to a fast food place where, yes, you technically got what you paid for, but it was so greasy you could barely eat it. Or was squashed for no apparent reason. Or has a strand of hair. Sure, you ordered from the dollar menu, but even the dollar menu makes some weak promises, and if they can’t even deliver on that…well, you have. Canary Black.”

Despite his criticism of the film’s predictable plot and lackluster action scenes, Bibbiani added that Beckinsale remains a standout as “a reliable action star for decades, even when her films can’t hold up step with her”.

Adding to the criticism, DecisiveJohn Serba said this while Canary Black carries typical action-thriller beats—including tense phone calls with a garbled-voiced villain and obligatory “high-stakes” hacking scenes—those tropes don’t always land. In one scene, Avery emails tech support as she works her way through the CIA’s labyrinthine system, at which point Serba jokes, “it’s going to hold you to your chair and make your hair fly back like and as if you were sitting in a wind tunnel”.

Serba ends her review by asking, “Will Avery Graves save the world and its centers? It seems like a fair bet, but discussing any pending twists and turns could be difficult.”

Jayanty Nada Shofa of The Jakarta Globe said that the espionage action thriller “isn’t the kind of movie you’ll remember days after you walk out of the cinema”.

Nada Shofa added that Canary Black starts off slow, with a lackluster opening fight scene that could set low expectations — and Beckinsale’s wig only helps set the bar low. However, Nada Shofa said that the action gets better as the film goes on, but the dialogue can be confusing, which may lose some viewers along the way.

“The action only started after Graves started looking for him Canary Black. A personal favorite fight scene is when Graves beats up a CIA prisoner to search him Canary Black— which one might expect to look like a mini chip — hidden in the inmate’s false tooth. The rest of the action is fine – some actually get your adrenaline pumping, while others are simply there for the plot,” the review reads.

Public reviews of the film on Google broadcast a range of reactions, from enthusiastic praise to harsh criticism, underscoring the film’s divisive impact. At the time of writing, 79% of reviewers liked the film.

Positive feedback highlights the film’s emotions and Beckinsale’s performance, with one viewer writing: “Loved this thriller from start to finish, great cast! I hope there will be a sequel with Kate Beckinsale and Rupert Friend.”

“Late Beckinsale is great in the movie! Full of action, drama and suspense! Love the movie!” said another.

A different review was more mixed, with the person posting, “Hahaha…if you’re up for a light-hearted spy B-movie and don’t take it too seriously, it’s a great background for homework! I also don’t want I think it was on purpose but it’s pretty funny YES it’s BAD like Days of Our Lives meets Team America but it’s good for shits and giggles!

There were also a variety of negative reviews, with one person saying that the film is “lacking in many areas. I do not recommend”.

“Horrible movie. Acting was abysmal. Blatant production flaws. And they just couldn’t help it and had to throw in the usual wake up liners. Don’t waste your time on this. It’s an epic waste of time,” a written by someone else.

Another person added: “This is a film that asks you to lower your expectations of an action film. It’s almost like the CIA is scraping the bottom of the propaganda barrel.”