Despite Netflix‘s best efforts, Heart of Stone does not seem to be delivering what it promised, with the first batch of reviews revealing a lackluster effort brought down by formulaic, repetitive, and uninventive writing and directing. At least the film is not alone when it comes to disappointing premieres, with Uzo Aduba and Matthew Broderick miniseries Painkiller also getting smashed by critics.
As for the charts, which have not yet been updated to count the viewership of the Gal Gadot vehicle, they boast a completely unexpected worldwide champion, as a remake we all forgot even existed somehow climbed all the way to the number one spot of most watched movies by Netflix subscribers.
Sex Education might still dish out a few more lessons at Moordale if we’re lucky
Sex Education has been some of the very best television produced at Netflix in the last few years, so the news that its fourth season would also be its last came with its fair share of dejection. Even if dragging on stories that appear to have reached their natural conclusion is never a good idea, which makes the Sex Education team’s self-awareness and restraint a welcome affair, it’s still always sad to see a good show come to an end.
With a little over a month to go before the release of the show’s final word, creator Laurie Nunn is adding some hopeful ellipses. Speaking to TUDUM, Nunn said that she will indeed be stepping away from the world of Sex Education for a bit after she’s done with season four, but that the doors have not closed for good on Moordale Secondary School. “Moordale is a really rich world, and writing about teenagers is always a lot of fun. So, I think that there’s always potential for more to be explored in that world,” the screenwriter shared.
High school television shows are known for introducing new generations of students every couple of years in order to extend their narratives. The likes of Glee, Elite, or Skins have employed this practice in the past and, while it’s always hard to let go of the characters we fell in love with first, if done well, the new stories can be just as engaging. Could that be the future for Sex Education?
Netflix’s latest action extravaganza sinks like its name under the weight of devastatingly poor reception
It looks like not every veteran superhero can find solace in the ever-growing world of Netflix action cinema, judging by the initial reaction to Heart of Stone — the Gal Gadot-led spy thriller that premiered on the platform Friday, Aug. 11.
Following Chris Hemsworth’s surprisingly pleasant outing in Netflix’s Extraction 2 in June, it was the Wonder Woman actress’ turn to go from comic book mythological demigod to badass action hero, but it looks like the transition did not go as smoothly.
The latest Netflix release is facing a disappointing 31% on Rotten Tomatoes’ review aggregator at the moment, with critics exposing its soulless action sequences that just can’t do justice to the movies it claims to be trying to emulate. In fact, the Tom Harper flick is not even the best movie titled Heart of Stone out there.
Painkiller might have to get a taste of its own medicine to help with dispiritingly low reviews
Also just fresh out of the Netflix oven is Painkiller, a miniseries about Purdue Pharma and its impact on the opioid crisis that has devasted America in the 21st century. Led by Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick, Taylor Kitsch, Dina Shihabi, and West Duchovny, the six-episode limited series takes from a 2003 book by Barry Meier, and a 2017 article published in The New Yorker.
Despite an interesting cast and premise, critics have not been kind to the property, which currently holds a 44% score on Rotten Tomatoes after 32 reviews — the majority of which call out the show for a somewhat sensationalist and melodramatic approach to its core issue, with comparisons to Hulu’s Dopesick becoming inevitable. Audiences showed a little more appreciation, giving the show an average 61% score.
A surprising chart-topper seemingly indicates Netflix can, too, apparently read minds
In 2019’s What Men Want, Taraji P. Henson plays a sports agent who is able to hear the thoughts of her male co-workers — a gender-reversed remake of the 2000 rom-com hit What Women Want, which barely made a splash at the time of its release. According to FlixPatrol, however, the four-year-old film is the surprising leader of Netflix’s Top 10 most-viewed films for Aug. 10 and Aug. 11.
It doesn’t matter that the concept has been explored a handful of times in the past, Netflix subscribers are apparently still happy to give this underwhelming remake directed by Adam Shankman a chance, in spite of its mild-to-cold reviews and box office shortcomings. Although audiences keep asking for more original productions, this turnaround proves Netflix, like the protagonist of this unlikely success, knows what’s really going on in viewers’ content-gobbling minds.