Argylle gets savaged in early reviews as £158m spy flick panned as 'stunningly bad'

Critics have not been kind to director Matthew Vaughn's spy action-comedy, branding it one of the "worst movies of all time".

The plot follows a best-selling author’s espionage novel - and the chaos that ensues when it begins to mirror a real-life spy operation.

The adaptation is reported to have cost Apple Original Films an eye-watering $200m (£158m), though that figure likely includes payouts to back-end deals to the film's many stars.

It boasts an all-star cast including Bryce Dallas Howard, Dua Lipa, Henry Cavill, Samuel L. Jackson and supermodel Claudia Schiffer's real-life pet cat Chip.

Despite such promise, it currently holds a dismal 38 per cent rating on popular review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes with The Standard's Martin Robinson feeling the flick "lacks drama, suspense, and a bit of heart and soul".

"One of the most expensive worst movies ever made" wrote Katie Walsh from Tribune News Service, while Nick Schager of The Daily Beast quipped, "It's comic touch almost as heavy-handed as its slow-motion-drenched action is dull, it seems primarily designed to answer the question, how many movie stars can one fiasco squander?"

Carla Hay from Culture Mix said the film was an "incoherent, bloated mess filled with stupid plot twists, awful dialogue, and a gimmicky cat that looks fake for most of the movie".

They added: "Henry Cavill is not the main star. Argylle is mostly Sam Rockwell acting smug and Bryce Dallas Howard acting terrified."

“Argylle Has a Big Secret: It’s a Stunningly Bad Movie,” declares the headline of David Fear’s review for Rolling Stone.

Ben Travis from Empire was a bit more positive, calling it “flashy, fun and light on its feet," but said it "papers over its cracks with twist upon twist".

"Everywhere you look, there are details that need to be added, plot holes that need to be filled, and jokes that need to be improved," Nicholas Barber from the BBC said.

While The Hollywood Reporter's Leslie Felperin concluded: "It all starts to feel like one of those very expensive, very elaborate commercials for a pseudo-luxury product you don’t want to buy - a perfume perhaps, or some car."

For those undeterred, Argylle will be released in cinemas in the UK nationwide from February 2.