“The 355,” yet another action-spy-thriller, was released on Jan. 7, featuring a group of stellar, world-class actresses including Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penélope Cruz, Fan Bingbing and Diane Kruger. The film tells the story of a group of women tracking a secret computer drive with the ability to do a lot of harm in the wrong hands, like launching nuclear weapons or damaging financial markets with just a few taps of the finger. This movie’s buzz stems from its feminist take on traditional spy movies that typically highlight men as the protagonists.
The film’s name is loosely based on the code name of a female spy from the American Revolution, whose identity remains a secret to this day. The number decrypted from the Culper Ring network means “lady.” This agent and what she symbolizes sets up the film for five very different women to put aside their agencies, families, cultures, friends and lives to work together as a team toward one common goal.
Based on the Rotten Tomatoes scoring of the film, critics were overwhelmingly displeased (26%), but audiences were decently captivated (84%). Reviewers who felt the movie was subpar noted that it was unmemorable, missed the mark, tried too hard and lacked substance. General audiences did not seem to think the movie was Oscar-worthy, but most were satisfied with the two-hour escape from reality.
A major part of the backlash seems to come from a traditionalist stance, with many citing that there are so many other movies that exhibit the same story and conflict. Elias Savada noted, “the top-notch female cast isn’t provided a decent blueprint to develop out of the provided stereotypes. The James Bond-Mission: Impossible spin that the actors try to emulate never takes full flight.”
Erik Childress said, “Eight minutes in and it was hard to believe this was even going into theaters. Two hours later it was an instant candidate for one of the laziest thrillers to be released throughout 2022.”
Many reviewers were bitter, like they were trying to hold back from admitting that male characters could have performed as these roles more believably. “‘The 355’” is one of the ugliest, most visually incoherent entries in the genre in years,” said Dominic Griffin.
However, this movie was not bad at all; it did not run too long and did not disappoint in regards to what it promised. “The 355” is advertised as a typical action movie, and that is exactly what it was. Most action movies are quite similar to one another and truly do not have much substance and depth to them. So what is so unlikable about this one?
The difference between this movie and other action/spy movies is that the protagonists are women, and the villains are men. This is not cheap or overplayed; it is refreshing and necessary. The world needs predictable, mindless spy movies about women to counteract and balance the enormous repertoire of male-led ones.
The backlash this movie is receiving is unwarranted and seems targeted. Feminists do not see this film as “feminist-enough,” embarrassed by the blatant, in-your-face girl power while non-feminists see this movie as a second-rate box office disgrace.
“The 355” is not necessarily revolutionary — perhaps even easily forgotten — but then again, so are most action movies. They are made for the sole purpose of mind-numbing entertainment, and this film accomplishes just that. There is something so special about tuning out the world to settle into a film that transfers its audience to a more exciting, secret life they could never possibly live.
The performances of each of the well-known actresses are commendable, and their emotion is praiseworthy. Many critics felt that the emotion fell flat and the predictability of the film was disappointing, but there are a handful of passionate moments, whether subtle or obvious in nature, that are absolutely admirable. Chastain consistently entices the camera with her top-notch performances, and her portrayal of stoic pain and betrayal in “The 355” does not disappoint. The film does not give every single character a happy ending, and there are a few surprising twists that leave the audience in disbelief. Nyong’o was particularly memorable for her heart-wrenching tears during one of the climax scenes.
Grossing $4.8 million in its first week, “The 355” is considered a flop as film production cost $40 million. It is unsurprising that few people are making it out to the theaters right now, considering the pandemic and the steep rise in Omicron cases. In 45 days, “The 355” will be moving to the streaming service Peacock, which could help the movie gain more traction and boost their revenue.
“The 355” is getting a bad rap from critics and bloggers alike, but most of their reviews are disgruntled and present a sexist tone. These critics feel this movie is a grab at diversity and inclusion and a flimsy attempt at emulating classic male-led action movies. Some of the bloggers even made dissatisfied comments about the women being fully clothed the whole time, which blows their cover of hating the movie for its quality. It is refreshing to see a movie filled to the brim with beautiful women that does not sexualize them for a bigger, better box office bank. These women are captivating because of their skills, their intelligence and their allure, and this movie is absolutely worth the watch. Being back in the movie theater is a gift, and “The 355” is not a waste of time or money.
Lillian Dunn is an Entertainment Intern for the winter 2022 quarter. She can be reached at lbdunn@uci.edu.