Image via Netflix
Jessica Alba is a savvy businessperson who has made her fortune by combining intellect with obvious genetic advantages. Catalogue model looks have come together with an unrivalled self-awareness, keeping Alba in the public eye for decades. In a film career featuring Sin City, The Fantastic Four and their subsequent sequels, this actor has carved her own niche in pop culture. Unfortunately, Alba’s return to screens courtesy of Netflix, ominously entitled Trigger Warning, will do little to convince audiences coming back was a good idea.
Image via Netflix
In a completely believable role that everyone will instantly embrace, Alba plays ex-marine Parker, who is first encountered out in Syria during an explosive mission. Dust, dirt, and gunfire define these opening minutes trying hard to convince viewers that Alba is a rugged marine with superior fighting skills. Having returned to base unscathed, Parker gets a phone call announcing her father’s death. Within minutes she back on a plane, back home, and reminiscing about a man she idolised. However, with some shady types in this small town up to no good, it soon becomes apparent that it might have been murder.
Image via Netflix
What follows is some transparent character moments, an old-style bad guy introduction in Ezekiel (Anthony Michael Hall), and some uninspired torture scenes as well as Alba kicking arse. The overwhelming feeling that keeps coming back throughout this streaming travesty is disappointment. The film could have been so much more if Alba had only stepped out of her comfort zone for five minutes. Trigger Warning is instantly disposable, rarely engages, and never attempts to move beyond the boundaries of formula. In-camera flashbacks do their best to illustrate Parker’s connection with her father, while other low-level thugs get dispatched as soon as they get too close. Beyond that the plot for Trigger Warning is easily forgotten and shockingly thin.
Image via Netflix
For audiences after some hardcore female action heroes, people could do worse than looking up Atomic Blonde with Charlize Theron, Salt starring Angelina Jolie, or better yet the updated Tomb Raider from years ago featuring Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft. All those examples are worth the investment, deliver a solid character turn alongside action beats, and are genuinely memorable. If Trigger Warning teaches filmmakers anything, it should be that story comes first. Purely because a string of kick arse scenes strung together with wafer-thin dialogue is never ever making any top ten lists.
Trigger Warning is available to stream on Netflix now.