Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Alarum’: The Movie That Critics and Audiences Agree Is a Total Disaster

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After the release of his new movie ““, Sylvester Stallone has unfortunately completed a “holy trinity” of films that he could have done without. The action-thriller directed by Michael Polish, however, was not a smooth production as it garnered a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 16 different critics. This isn’t just a one-off issue if only a few reviews were considered, but based on the collective opinions of these 16 critics, the outcome is quite critical for Stallone’s latest film, known for its iconic role in the “Rocky” series.

Indeed, critics tend to present just one perspective for any film, but Alarum might still find redemption through favorable audience reactions. However, at the moment of writing, there aren’t enough public reviews to assign a score. Nonetheless, the early opinions suggest that this movie seems unlikely to be rescued by anything other than an unexpected miracle, or perhaps an unusual intervention from President Trump.

Stallone has a unique ability to create either excellent films or disappointing ones, unfortunately, “Alarum” falls into the latter category. To put it mildly, it’s one of his least impressive works. Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru, described it as “a bland, dull, and forgettable B-movie that lacks the necessary thrills and suspense to rise above average.” Indeed, even compared to Stallone’s performance in The Expendables 4 (which received a weak 14% score), Alarum seems focused and committed.

Is Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Alarum’ Really That Bad?

For those interested, the synopsis of Alarum reads:

In this high-octane action-thriller, Sylvester Stallone, Scott Eastwood, Mike Colter, and Willa Fitzgerald take center stage. The story revolves around Joe (Scott Eastwood) and Lara (Willa Fitzgerald), a pair of spies who are married and have been operating undercover. Their peaceful life at a winter resort is disrupted when higher-ups in the intelligence network, fearing they’ve joined an exclusive group of renegade spies called ALARUM, start pursuing them relentlessly to secure a crucial asset.

If it appears as though the movie is a familiar tale, that’s exactly how the audience reviews describe it. In fact, the general public goes as far as saying that Alarum barely deserves one star out of five, and even that rating might be overly kind.

1. User Bianca M, from Rotten Tomatoes, gave a poor review with a half-star rating, remarking, “I’ve rarely seen such a poorly edited film, featuring subpar cinematography, uninspiring acting, and an awful soundtrack. It’s as edgy as flavorless popcorn. I expected entertainment from Scott Eastwood’s performance, but instead, found myself questioning why I wasted my time.”

2. Another review, echoing Bianca M’s sentiments, nails the coffin shut by stating, “This isn’t just another predictable and meaningless action movie. We all know what these films are like. A band of soldier heroes have a mission to battle waves of henchmen for 90 minutes and save the world. Compared to a B-level action movie, this one was more painful than Shakespeare.”

It’s hoped that Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming collaboration with Jason Statham in David Ayer’s “A Working Man,” due in March, will steer clear of underwhelming performances. However, given his recent work, there’s a lingering doubt as to whether it might be appropriate for Stallone to retire from action roles and focus more on taking supporting positions in the film industry.

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2025-01-20 16:32