There are many motion films we’ve been excited to see this 12 months, and as we watch for blockbusters like Superman and slasher sequels like I Know What You Did Final Summer season, John Cena and Idris Elba are hoping to supply audiences with some humor to go along with their hijinks. Heads of State might be accessible to stream with a Prime Video subscription when it hits the 2025 film premiere calendar simply in time for July Fourth, and critics largely agree it’s the very best type of dumb comedy.
In Heads of State, Idris Elba and John Cena crew up within the title of motion, taking part in the British prime minister and the U.S. president, respectively. After an assassination try, the bickering world leaders are compelled to work collectively to maintain one another alive and thwart a world conspiracy. In CinemaBlend’s evaluation of Heads of State, our personal Nick Venable says he “had a blast,” giving the film 4 out of 5 stars and saying:
[When] John Cena and Idris Elba are faraway from the majority of the opposite major characters, that is when issues get cooking. With out anybody else yapping of their ears, Will and Sam are compelled to fulfill within the center and work collectively, which is the muse of any nice buddy motion film. The film by no means loses sight of that kinship, both, all through all the opposite bone-breaking brawls, bullet-hell gunfights, and twisty plot machinations.
Nate Richard of Collider agrees, giving Heads of State a 7 out of 10 for being “silly in all the correct methods.” Idris Elba and John Cena are so nice collectively that they overshadow loads of the movie’s different shortcomings, Richard says, writing:
Proper from the leap, Heads of State is aware of precisely the type of film that it needs to be, and leans into all of the goofiness and stupidity that comes throughout as endearing quite than lazy. [Director Ilya Naishuller] continues to cement himself as one of the vital dependable motion administrators working proper now… It is unapologetic, foolish, and self-aware, whereas nonetheless having flashy motion scenes that look surprisingly nice. It is the proper film to observe for the 4th of July when you get again from watching the fireworks.
IndieWire’s Siddhant Adlakha offers the flick a B and calls it “a hoot,” writing:
Torn between motion and comedy, irony and sentiment, and rah-rah jingoism and real self-reflection, Heads of State is a surprisingly entertaining romp. From a distance, the star-studded Prime Video romp seems like a pretend movie-within-a-movie — which is ironic, given what number of of those it options in it operating time — however the stylings of director Ilya Naishuller assist rescue it from the algorithmic abyss of movies like Crimson Discover, which really feel extra like star-driven pyramid schemes than works of popcorn cinema.
Olly Richards of Empire charges the upcoming Idris Elba film 4 out of 5 stars, writing that this “actually good, dumb comedy” has no ambitions to be something apart from a completely good time, permitting it to hit that undemanding however entertaining candy spot that many action-comedies lack. The critic continues:
After the unsure begin, director Ilya Naishuller develops a robust deal with on the tone, constructing the absurdity steadily, so it by no means lurches. He piles up touches of goofiness little by little, like a recreation of Buckaroo!, cautious by no means to do an excessive amount of too rapidly and ship the entire thing skittering. By the point it reaches its extremely inconceivable conclusion, you might moderately be rolling your eyes at how mad all of it is, however you’ll most likely be having such a blast that you simply received’t really feel any must.
If dumb humor is what Heads of State goes for, Justin Kim of Loud and Clear thinks it maybe didn’t go far sufficient. The critic left the theater not absolutely glad however nonetheless charges the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing that it supplied an excessive amount of leisure to warrant a low rating. In Kim’s phrases:
Heads of State wanted to decide on a transparent path. It may have both doubled down on the silliness of the premise and gone full 80s fashion camp with its tone and motion, or been a bit extra authentic about its drama and spy thriller plot. When the movie tries to take the center street, it finally ends up flatlining, and we’re left with a film that’s neither memorably foolish nor memorably severe.
It sounds just like the critics are largely in settlement that Heads of State is nice for a dose of silly summer season enjoyable. Go forward and add me to that listing, as I additionally attended an early screening and was extremely amused by the banter between John Cena and Idris Elba. You received’t have to attend lengthy or go far for this one. Heads of State hits Amazon’s Prime Video on Wednesday, July 2.