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“Ghosted”

Apple TV+

Directed by Dexter Fletcher

Starring Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Amy Sedaris and Tim Blake Nelson

Rated PG-13

2 ½ Stars

In the new movie “Ghosted,” an average guy meets the girl of his dreams. He decides to surprise her at work one day, only to find that she’s actually a CIA spy on a top-secret mission to save the world.

I mean, we’ve all been there.

“Ghosted” is the latest, big-budget streaming blockbuster. This time it’s Apple TV+ pulling out all the stops to make a movie that would play well as a summer action/romcom.

It features major Hollywood stars, a lot of action, a sprinkling of comedy and some slow-burn romantic sparks. I suspect casual movie fans will enjoy the film, although I don’t think it ever rises above the level of disposable entertainment.

Chris Evans stars as the nice guy who meets a woman (Ana de Armas) at a farmer’s market. They have a romantic first date, but then she disappears, which explains the title. Our hero decides to stalk, er, surprise her at work so he flies to London in the hopes of making a grand romantic gesture.

No sooner does he land than goons kidnap him, thinking he is a legendary assassin known as “The Taxman.” I’m not quite sure why, but bigger plot contrivances happen in movies all the time, so why not?

Don’t worry, the woman of his dreams turns out to be a secret agent. She barges in, guns blazing and saves him in the nick of time.

And so begins this globe-trotting adventure as the couple bicker their way through one dangerous gunfight after another, constantly bickering as they save the world from the arms dealer (Adrien Brody) who is looking to sell a bioweapon to the highest bidder.

It’s interesting that “Ghosted” is only streaming on Apple TV+ as I think that it might have had a bigger impact if it had been released in movie theaters. The action sequences are well-staged, and de Armas is an impressive action heroine, but her fighting skills don’t have the same punch as what we saw her do in the last James Bond movie.

A bigger screen (and a better sound system) might make for more-exciting action here.

I also think that “Ghosted” would have benefitted from a hotter romantic flame. This is one of those movies where the two stars fall for each other, not because they have genuine chemistry, but because the screenwriter decreed that the two best-looking people in the movie should fall in love.

The romance gets better as the movie goes along, but it takes a while to turn believable.

The comic moments are rather funny, especially as a parade of movie stars pop up for one amusing cameo moment after another. For my money, the humor is the most satisfying aspect of the movie.

Ultimately “Ghosted” is one of those movies that is good, but not great. The action is exciting, but never truly thrilling. The romance is nice, but not so much that it will get your heartrate to rise.

It’s probably not quite enough to get audiences to pay $6.99 a month for an Apple TV subscription, but combine this with the new season of “Ted Lasso” and it might just tip the scales.

Movie reviews by Sean McBride, “The Movie Guy,” are published each week by Port Arthur Newsmedia and seen weekly on KFDM and Fox4. Sean welcomes your comments via email at sean@seanthemovieguy.com.