John Cena and Idris Elba‘s new Prime Video action comedy debuts with a surprisingly fresh Rotten Tomatoes score. The WWE wrestler’s first starring role was in the 2015 action movie The Marine, though he has also shined in comedic roles, such as in Trainwreck (2015), Ferdinand (2017), and Blockers (2018).
Cena has also starred in several action franchises, including the Transformers movie Bumblebee (2018), playing Jakob Toretto in the Fast & Furious movies F9 (2021) and Fast X (2023), and Peacemaker in the DC Universe, including in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad (2021) and his eponymous television series, with season 2 set to premiere on August 21.
On the other hand, Elba is an English actor who rose to prominence playing Stringer Bell in HBO’s The Wire and the тιтular chief inspector in BBC’s Luther, the latter role earning him four Primetime Emmy nominations. Elba’s Emmy-nominated performances also include his guest role in Showtime’s dramedy The Big C and his lead role in Apple TV’s thriller Hijack.
Elba has also starred in several blockbuster action movies, including the Fast & Furious franchise, playing the villainous Brixton Lore in the spin-off film, Hobbs & Shaw, and the superhero Heimdall in six Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, starting with Thor (2011). He also played Bloodsport in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, and now Cena and Elba reunite in a new Prime Video action movie.
Heads Of State Debuts With Surprisingly Fresh Rotten Tomatoes Score
The Action Comedy Releases Soon On Prime Video
Heads of State has debuted with a surprisingly fresh Rotten Tomatoes score. Directed by Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry, Nobody), the Prime Video action comedy follows two world leaders – Cena as President of the U.S. and Elba as Prime Minister of the U.K. – who become targets of a foreign adversary and must join forces to thwart a global conspiracy.
Other than Elba and Cena in the lead roles, the cast also includes Priyanka Chopra Jonas, The Boys star Jack Quaid, House of the Dragon‘s Paddy Considine, Stephen Root, Carla Gugino, and Ted Lᴀsso‘s Sarah Niles.
Now, a day before its release on Prime Video, Heads of State has debuted with a 60% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is surprisingly Fresh. The movie only has 15 reviews at the time of writing, so the score should fluctuate as more are published. It doesn’t yet have an audience score, though it will begin to take shape once the movie releases on streaming.
What Heads Of State’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Means For The Movie
What Are The Reviews Saying?
Heads of State‘s Rotten Tomatoes score means that its reviews are mixed, but mostly positive. For instance, in ScreenRant‘s Heads of State review, Mae Abdulbaki writes, “John Cena and Idris Elba’s enemies-to-friends relationship keeps Prime Video’s actioner from growing stale… Its saving grace is the decision to ground the film with an enemies-to-friends trope for its leading duo that mostly works in its favor.”
While some find it entertaining and stylish, others see Heads of State as forgettable or poorly executed despite the star power of Cena and Elba.
Otherwise, the reviews are mixed, with critics praising its fun action, energetic cast, and goofy tone, calling it a solid streaming choice. However, others are criticizing its flat script, lack of originality, and uneven tone. While some find it entertaining and stylish, others see Heads of State as forgettable or poorly executed despite the star power of Cena and Elba.
Heads of State releases July 2 on Prime Video.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
