Netflix has a new number one movie - just don't look at the reviews

Kevin Hart takes on an unusual role in Netflix’s new number one movie, Lift.

You probably know Hart as a stand-up comedian, or as a wise-cracking part of a wider ensemble in films like Jumanji or Central Intelligence. Lift seems him play out of type.

Cyrus is an art thief who becomes the head of a heist team charged with keeping $500 million out of the hands of a terrorist group. And in doing so, they'll have to take over an entire A380 airplane.

Lift has leapt straight to the top of the Netflix chart according to Flixpatrol. On January 14 it was the number one Netflix movie in 85 countries according to the stat aggregator. And the handful in which it wasn’t at the top spot, it was at number two.

The film is pulling in eyeballs, but it hasn’t pleased the critics too much.

Lift movie reviews

The Guardian’s review calls it a “hollow, flashy action film,” and that sense of being a bit shallow and empty is reflected across many of the reviews. “An irritating arsenal of flashy camera moves and sleight-of-hand edits, but these only serve to emphasise the emptiness of the spectacle,” says that Guardian review.

However, come with the right expectations and that sort of 2-star negative reception can be turned into a much better 3-star one. TIME’s review doesn’t suggest Lift is a masterpiece, but does say it’s a breezy, decent time.

“A throwaway heist movie—undemanding when it comes to brain power and requiring a minimal time investment—is the ultimate low-key early-new-year pleasure,” says the TIME review. “The absurdity of its plot isn’t beside the point; it is the point.”

Which side of that line will you fall? Unusually, the same split plays out in the audience reviews over at Rotten Tomatoes too. It currently has a 28% critic score, a 34% Audience score.

Lift isn’t a film you aspire to watch, but could be one route to avoid spending half the film’s 104 minute runtime scrolling through Netflix.

The film is directed by F. Gary Gray, who also made 2015’s Straight Outta Compton, Men in Black: International and The Fate of the Furious.

• Want something with better reviews? Check out the best Netflix movies shortlist