THE PLOT THUS FAR
When a terrorist attack on Washington D.C. leaves three war veterans who are suffering from PTSD trapped in an elevator together, the isolation and highly stressful situation brings previous wartime experiences to the surface, and while dark forces are at work outside the elevator, a battle for control and survival ensues inside.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Alpha Alert” is a rather interesting movie on paper. However, the acting leaves so much to be desired. I guess having PTSD means short fuses, cliché acting and suddenly figuring out a plan when the narrative requires it. The use of stress as a substitute for real tension only holds for about twenty minutes. After that, the audience is left wondering why the movie is so damn long. Which is a shame, because I really like Jennifer Morrison.
The three soldiers are pretty non descript. The lack of real community, relationships or ability to act like people in a terrible situation really hurts the credibility of the movie. That being said, the setup to get to the elevator worked. It’s just prolonged scenes of dialogue while they have to worry about Dirty Bombs attacking their city really, really, really just makes me go…nope. I love it when indie movies use their limited budget to challenge the narrative. The problem is that there has to be something of substance to build upon. The movie keeps suggesting that there is this big battle ahead of them and how this is going to get them ready. Ready for what, dear readers? Ready for what?
The DVD comes with a Digital Copy as the only special feature. The A/V Quality sports a rather rough transfer. It’s not bad, it just looks dirty even for standard definition. The Dolby track even provides decent support for back channels. In the end, I’d recommend a rental.
RELEASE DATE: 06/17/2014