Netflix & Prime Video Era: Does ‘Zeta’ Simplify Spy Thrillers Too Much?

The Spanish espionage thriller Zeta, premiering Friday on Prime Video, arrives amid a broader conversation about how streaming services are shaping cinematic storytelling. Earlier this year, Matt Damon revealed that Netflix prefers plots to be reiterated “three or four times through dialogue,” anticipating viewers distracted by mobile devices. This observation resonates with the viewing experience of Zeta, a sprawling, multi-location production that frequently employs flashbacks and voiceover narration to ensure clarity for potentially fragmented attention.

Directed by Dani de la Torre and co-written with Oriol Paulo, Zeta follows a complex web of former and current intelligence operatives, ETA members, Colombian FARC guerrillas, and arms traffickers. The narrative jumps between locations including Thailand, Panama, Japan, Estonia, Brazil, England, Colombia, and Spain. The film’s plot centers on connections between the now-defunct Spanish intelligence service CESID and the current CNI, Spain’s national intelligence agency.

The film stars Mario Casas, alongside Luis Zahera and Nora Navas. Zahera’s character, in a moment of self-awareness, acknowledges the film’s tendency toward over-explanation, stating, “For the same price, I’m going to supply you another history lesson,” seemingly justifying the repetitive dialogue. This echoes Damon’s comments about Netflix’s approach to storytelling for distracted viewers.

The production boasts significant backing, with Pablo Isla, former chairman and CEO of Inditex (the parent company of Zara) and current Nestlé president, serving as a producer. The involvement of Isla adds a layer of business prominence to the project. The script draws on real historical connections between ETA and the FARC, a link previously investigated by Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón in 1997, who probed a network of ETA money laundering and its ties to drug trafficking.

Zeta features action sequences, including a car chase in Estonia and a foot pursuit in Rio de Janeiro, drawing comparisons to the Bourne franchise, though critics suggest it falls short, more closely resembling a film starring Jason Statham. Despite strong performances from Casas, Zahera, and Navas, and evident production value, the film is criticized for its reliance on tropes, melodrama, and an ultimately superficial resolution. The narrative, which stretches back to 1987 with the assassination of an ETA leader in Latin America, is deemed overburdened with plot points and implausibilities.

Zeta
Directed by Dani de la Torre.
Starring: Mario Casas, Luis Zahera, Mariela Garriga, Nora Navas.
Genre: Espionage.
Spain, 2026.
Platform: Prime Video.
Duration: 127 minutes.
Premiere: March 20.