Written by Jesus Figueroa
@ThisFunktional
Lionsgate’s ALARUM, available now on demand and on digital, has so many elements that it falls apart as the story tries to piece them all together.
Academy Award® nominee Sylvester Stallone, Scott Eastwood, Mike Colter, and Willa Fitzgerald star in this explosive action-thriller about two married spies caught in the crosshairs of an international intelligence network that will stop at nothing to obtain a critical asset.
Joe (Eastwood) and Lara (Fitzgerald) are agents living off the grid whose quiet retreat at a winter resort is blown to shreds when members of the old guard suspect the two may have joined an elite team of rogue spies, known as ALARUM.
Much of the excitement of the movie comes from Stallone which is not the central part of the film, but his name and presence gives excitement for fans and, yet with that star power and strong acting, this is not enough to help this story be more than just a common lesson than thrilling action movie.
This does not fall only on Stallone as his acting does bring an intensity to it which is felt in every scene he is in, it just feels like at points Stallone is just thrown in to remind the audience that he is part of the movie.
Through out the movie there are areas of the story arc that seem jumbled and put together in an awkward way to create a false sense of suspense, but fall more into the realm of confusion.
Eastwood has had some projects where he is able to show his acting prowess and action star power, but, with the attempt to make this more than just an explosive action thriller, Eastwood’s lost into the movie with no memorable scenes.
Fitzgerald’ a character of Lara seems to feel disjointed from the story almost as if that character was just added as an after thought to fill time. There is very little this character does to create anything meaningful to the overall story.
ThisFunktional rates this movie 4 out of 10. From watching the trailer, there isn’t not much to expect from the story, and it is easy to see why this is a straight to home entertainment release, but with names like Sylvester Stallone, Scott Eastwood, and Ella Fitzgerald fans would be drawn to ALARUM. The ending is not far off from what can be expected from such a movie, as the way story develops becomes apparent after watching the first 15 minutes of the movie and being introduced to the main characters. The action star presence of Stallone uplifts the film, but even with a good solid performance from Stallone, the story does not come to fruition and fails to deliver an actual climax. While there are some story hits many action thriller tropes, it stays safe with a slight arc that does not spike at the action scenes or build up any third act climax. The best part of the movie is the acting, but, without a good story, the acting fails to be relevant. This movie did not live long in memory, it was a good thing I took the time right after watching to write my thoughts out clearly.
