'Ghost' review: Chris Evans and Ana de Armas mix romance with secret agent antics in Apple TV+'s frothy action-adventure

It’s part of the voracious streaming platform machine – they need constant feeding, but no matter how big the attempt to replicate studio blockbusters, Loud and slick, they almost always end up being one-time entertainment. The absence of a dramatic splash usually only ensures the most fleeting pop culture imprint. They’re a commodity, and in this case probably far less durable than most Apple products. This includes Apple CarPlay, which is highlighted in the opening scene.

That said, Ghosted serves its purpose. It’s enjoyable enough, were it not for the exhilarating thrill ride that Fletcher’s breathless pacing and steady vehicle chases, gunshots, explosions and mano a mano debris in distant places would have you believe.

Sadie of De Armas and Cole of Evans met the lovely person at a farmers market in DC when she wanted to buy potted begonias but was in He refused to sell her work after she admitted she traveled too much and watered it as needed. He suggests she’d be better off with a no-maintenance cactus, which leads to a joke about Cole’s poverty and Sadie’s prickly loneliness.

Despite their initial friction, they go on an impromptu date. They soak up picturesque Georgetown and catch the Exorcist’s steps before entering the National Gallery. But neither Sadie’s peak athleticism nor her basic taste for painters (“I love Monet!”) lead him to suspect that she might not be telling the truth about her work as an art curator. After a long day of walking and talking over aimless vocals, they collapse on the bed and Cole is instantly smitten.

Back the next day at his parents’ farm, Cole’s mother (Amy Sedaris) and father (Tate Donovan Wan) all seem excited that he’s met a woman he thinks might be “the one.” His playful sister (Liz Broadway) predicts that he’ll scare her away quickly with his usual clingy manner, and when his texts and emojis to Sadie go unnoticed, she seems right. But Cole realized he had left the asthma inhaler in Sadie’s backpack, and a tracking app on the medical device allowed him to track her to London.

Fact that his condition is barely mentioned again despite the series of physical torture that would kill most asthmatics, It’s just one of those script designs that’s best ignored. Likewise, Cole helps set the stage by musing, “I think the least travel you plan is the most travel for you.” This is coming from someone who has never left the country.

Cole had been against unplanned trips before, but when his mum suggested he should just show up in London to surprise Sadie (“It would It’s romantic!”), and he did. It proves ill-advised when he follows her to Tower Bridge but is kidnapped by a gang of thugs who are convinced he is the CIA golden boy code-named The Taxman. (You just know that Apple popped up with the Beatles song, which we’re going to hear at a critical moment.)

Tim Blake Nelson, fuck with a chewy Russian accent) was about to deploy the carnivore to extract the code from Cole, who was panicked and overwhelmed when a gun-toting Sadie rushed in to save him and take out a small group of villains. She was the real The taxman, uh, is overwhelmed by his romantic surprises and annoyed by the responsibility of having to keep him safe while she eliminates the bad guys.

This brings them back to their opposing banter immediately, especially during one of the film’s pivotal roller-coaster action sequences, when a ride in a colorfully decorated public Car, comes under attack as it slopes around Pakistan’s mountainous Khyber Pass.

Fletcher was brilliant in high-speed chases, but it was the spark that de Armas and Evans produced that kept it alive. Sadie treats herself like a seasoned super spy and is never afraid, even in one-to-many situations. Cole fumbles toward the occasional winning weapon, at one point using a gag gift cactus as a weapon. The script doesn’t do much more than break down their characters—he uses his parents’ farm as an excuse to escape life; she uses her job to avoid getting close to anyone—but the charismatic lead sells it.

Sadie’s unsuccessful attempt to get Cole home is due in part to Leveque (Adrien Brody, a notorious A former French intelligence officer turned arms dealer who still believes he is the tax collector. Leveque and his main follower, Wagner (Mike Moh), have acquired Aztec, a chemical and biological weapon capable of destroying the East Coast of the United States. However, This would be of no use without the lost code and their buyers are getting impatient.

Plot moved from Pakistan to An island in the Arabian Sea, then back to Washington, D.C., where Sadie got into trouble as a scoundrel. But the CIA top brass (Anna Devier Smith) decided they needed to keep Cole around as bait, especially when he When knowledge of the crop proves useful in deciphering a mystery. The culmination of a spinning loop high in the Washington skyline is a reminder of why dining at a revolving restaurant is rarely a good idea.

Aside from the fact that the celebrity face turned up as a bounty hunter and ex-lover still holding the torch for Sadie, nothing particularly surprising happened. But Ghosted is engaging on his own undemanding terms, never lingering on numbers, and tempering the violence with a light, playful tone. It also means there is never any real danger. Busy by three Fueled by a team of editors and a string of hard-hitting needles (The Knack’s “My Sarona” in Pakistan? Sure, why not?), the film is fast-paced popcorn entertainment with a luxurious protagonist. It goes down painlessly, even though you might forget about it the moment it’s over.