Apple TV’s movie roster is a mixed bag, with most of its films often a rung below in quality relative to the television lineup. The streaming service has a handful of prestige film that are around for awards season, and then there are a bunch of titles that star popular, attractive celebrities leaning into their strengths. Shows like Widow’s Bay, Slow Horses, and The Studio demonstrate just how impressive Apple TV productions can be.

It was with great trepidation that I watched Matchbox the Movie, a new Apple TV film that was manifested into existence following the success of Barbie with a story that looks like every single Fast and the Furious ever made. Here’s how it went.

Price

$13 per month

Free trial

7 day free trial and 3 months free if you buy an Apple device

Simultaneous streams

6

# of profiles

6

Originals

Yes

Live TV:

Limited (There are live sports and some add-on channels offer live TV)

Matchbox the Movie is a chaotic and silly action comedy

Confusing tones and poor pacing make it a tough watch

Credit: Apple TV

Matchbox the Movie came into existence because Mattel, following the wild success of Barbie, assumed that the movie triumphed because of nostalgia for toys and not, says, incredible writing and directing, with commentary on present-day gender norms in addition to a fantastic song-and-dance number. So it wasn’t with high hopes that I watched this supposed action comedy; I was holding out for some mild entertainment and a few laughs.

I supposed in that regard my low expectations were met, but I’m still mightily confused by what I saw. I’m not entirely sure those who were involved in making this film knew exactly what they wanted to do.

A movie about toy cars can go in a lot of different directions. Here, John Cena plays Sean Walker, who as a child loved playing with toy cars alongside his diverse group of friends. As an adult, he is a covert CIA agent who is great at driving vehicles and fighting bad guys. He has drifted away from his friends, who as adults have very different jobs but all sort of operate a vehicle in some capacity. When he reunites with them at a funeral for a neighborhood friend and mentor, the gang is drugged and kidnapped because Walker has enemies.

If this already seems a bit wild, it gets far weirder. What transpired is a story about a missing nuclear bomb, double-crossing agents, a false flag operation, and a bunch of civilians who suddenly become very skilled at car chases, fighting bad guys, and generally killing people who get in their way. Walker and his friends, inexplicably, are framed as terrorists, despite the fact that this group includes a construction worker Crosby (Sam Richardson), his traffic reporter wife Charmaine (Teyonah Parris), high school chemistry teacher Ted (Arturo Castro), and Aimee (Jessica Biel), Walker’s childhood crush who has grown up to be a talented race car driver. The story is absurd in ways that Fast and Furious would only dream.

And there are plenty of allusions to that franchise, and some scenes that seem to straight up steal from it (and others). Walker races backwards off a cliff after being cornered by some baddies, there is an assault on an armored truck convoy (on a conveniently empty highway), and there is a moment that is an almost a shot-for-shot (and line-for-line) recreation of a moment in Indiana Jones.

It’s also worth noting that in this movie universe, Matchbox cars are a thing, and the scripts tries to get the characters to say the word “matchbox” as often as possible. It also tries hard to connect the dots between the group’s childhood love of these toys and their grown up jobs, dreams, and friendships, as if their enjoyment of playing with cars at a young age somehow influences them to be the people they are as adults. It’s a stretch.

What’s most disappointing is that the tone oscillates between serious and silly, and wastes Cena’s charm and goofiness. He too often is forced to calm down his friends and play the solemn hero while the other cast members get to react to increasingly chaotic situations. Using him as the straight man is a waste, and there are a bunch of moments where he breaks character and gets goofy. Richardson also feels a bit wasted; his comedic timing and reactions are fantastic, but he’s let down by the writing and the fact that all four of Walker’s friends are essentially given the same role.

This is not a good movie, but there are some moments of entertainment. Because it’s an Apple TV movie, it looks great, and the action sequences are coherent and entertaining. There is a middle section that drags, and nothing really makes any sense, but it’s by no means the worst movie the streamer has ever made (looking at you, Fountain of Youth). It’s just within its ridiculous world, it could have been a lot funnier and more entertainment. As it stands, it’s pretty forgettable despite a few moments.

How you can watch Matchbox the Movie

John Cena movie coming soon to Apple TV

Unlike Barbie, this toy story movie is not heading to the theaters, which is definitely the smart move. It is not a theater-worth film by any means. It is a movie you stream at home on a cozy Saturday afternoon.

This John Cena-led action comedy is heading to Apple TV this week, dropping on the streaming service on October 9. You need a subscription to Apple TV in order to stream Matchbox the Movie, whether you are on a paid subscription or one of the many free trials that the service offers.

Release Date

October 9, 2026

Runtime

127 minutes

Director

Sam Hargrave

Writers

David Coggeshall

Producers

Dana Goldberg, David Ellison, Don Granger, Jules Daly, Robbie Brenner, Ynon Kreiz

Check out these other Apple TV titles

Quality movies coming to the service this fall

Credit: Apple TV

Matchbox the Movie drops during a busy month for Apple TV, and there are plenty more titles to watch on the streamer. Later this month, Tenzing, a fictionalized account of the first successful summit of Mount Everest, comes online, as does the season six finale of Slow Horses. A new psychological thriller is also coming to the streamer at the end of the month in Nocturne, starring Liev Schrieber and Zazie Beetz.

Next month, Apple TV will debut Being Heumann about disability rights activist Judy Heumann, which looks posed to make a run during awards season. Being Heumann kicked off the Toronto International Film Festival this year, while Tenzing also had its world premiere at the popular festival.