MATCHBOX THE MOVIE (APPLE TV+) (2026)

SYNOPSIS: Matchbox The Movie is an action-packed, globetrotting adventure about a group of friends since childhood who have their lives upended when undercover CIA agent Sean (John Cena), their long-absent former leader, returns to their small town and unwittingly gets them embroiled in a frantic international pursuit to save the world.

MOVIE REVIEW:

While Mattel’s Hot Wheels movie is still in production, or perhaps in limbo, despite having announced Jon M. Chu as its director, here comes its sister brand, Matchbox, with Matchbox: The Movie, making its debut on Apple TV+.

John Cena stars as Sean Walker, a CIA agent accused by his own agency and boss, Mosier (Corey Stoll), of stealing a nuclear warhead. With no choice but to team up with four of his childhood friends, including his longtime crush Aimee (Jessica Biel), Crosby (Sam Richardson), Charmaine (Teyonah Parris) and Ted (Arturo Castro), Sean sets out to retrieve the nuclear warhead and save the world.

To say the least, Matchbox: The Movie is an embarrassing patchwork of countless other spy-related, globe-trotting action adventures. It doesn’t even bother pretending that its story has anything to do with the world-famous toy brand. The only connection to the toys comes in a brief scene where the children find solace in playing with Matchbox toy cars at Aimee’s uncle’s garage. That gets roughly five minutes of screentime before we jump to a grown-up Sean being chased by enemies in the desert. Talk about a convenient introduction!

That leaves director Sam Hargrave, best known for helming the two Chris Hemsworth-led Extraction movies, to work overtime, delivering one spectacular car chase and crash after another. Of course, it’s totally believable that four ordinary civilians can kick ass alongside a seasoned field agent. You see, Aimee is a part-time racer, Charmaine is a helicopter news pilot, while Ted is a resourceful chemistry teacher who also rides a bike like a Terminator. What could possibly go wrong?

While Extraction shines with its frequent one-shot takes and hardcore kicks and punches, most of the action sequences in Matchbox are haphazardly shot and edited, likely to disguise Cena’s increasingly less-than-agile movements. Still, a couple of crazy, breathtaking stunts filmed in Budapest and Slovakia should satisfy your action needs.

Running past the two-hour mark, Matchbox: The Movie is hardly going to be remembered down the road. The villain, played by Danai Gurira, is a one-dimensional, paper-thin character, while stuntman and actor Daniel Bernhardt, best known for his appearances in the John Wick movies, predictably plays her henchman. And Jessica Biel, for reasons known only to herself, has chosen this as her comeback vehicle.

This could have been a better movie had the story been built around the Matchbox brand rather than serving up yet another generic spy-action thriller. Is it going to sell more Matchbox toys? Not even in the slightest. Is it a win for Skydance and Apple TV+? More likely, it’s destined to join the countless action movies released on streaming platforms: corny, repetitive and pointless.

At least Hargrave has the potential to direct the final entry in the Fast & Furious franchise. We’ve heard the director’s chair is still looking for a candidate.  

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee