Capsule reviews for March 13

Alpha

The bleakness and despair intensifies throughout this muddled psychological thriller from French director Julia Ducournau (Raw), which maximizes discomfort with a harrowing setup that doesn’t substantially escalate the suspense or the emotional stakes. Alpha (Melissa Boros) is a wayward teenager whose mysterious new tattoo that triggers a downward spiral for her family, including her panicked mother (Golshifteh Farahani) and addict uncle (Tahar Rahim). Boros is captivating while balancing anxiety and curiosity in the title role, but as Ducournau’s allegorical script veers between fantasy and reality in search of a deeper meaning about grief and guilt, its characters remain stuck in a state of ominous uncertainty. (Rated R, 128 minutes).

The Gates

Considering the potentially provocative subject matter, this mildly suspenseful thriller misses an opportunity to be more impactful, instead settling for cliches and stereotypes. It’s set outside of Dallas, where three friends (Mason Gooding, Algee Smith, Keith Powers) are heading to a party when they take a shortcut through a gated community, witness a crime, and run afoul of a preacher (James Van Der Beek) trying to frame them as part of a cover-up. The film lacks the subtlety and nuance to land its more potent subtext involving white privilege, xenophobia, and organized religion, instead settling for a variation on Get Out that’s moderately taut yet formulaic. (Rated R, 91 minutes).

Saipan

It might not provide much new insight for fans, but this retelling of the 2002 scandal that rocked the Irish national soccer team makes for a breezy and compelling time capsule. With the prestigious World Cup only weeks away, the underdog squad heads to the titular Pacific island for training camp. However, superstar player Roy Keane (Eanna Hardwicke) is feuding with manager Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan) and threatening to head home before the tournament even begins, national pride be damned. Two strong performances bolster a film that doesn’t dig beyond the headlines, yet it tweaks global soccer fanaticism, alpha-male posturing, and hero worship with even-handed humor. (Not rated, 90 minutes).

Slanted

Although it turns heavy-handed down the stretch, this sharply observed coming-of-age satire is a clever genre hybrid examining the immigrant experience with fresh relevance. Joan (Shirley Chen) finds that her Chinese heritage is an obstacle to fitting in with the cool girls at her suburban high school, and her goal of becoming prom queen. So she signs up for an experimental surgery and emerges as blonde beauty Jo (McKenna Grace), unaware of the potential physical or psychological side effects. The screenplay by rookie director Amy Wang yields an exaggerated yet perceptive scrutiny of cultural assimilation, body image, xenophobia, and subconscious biases that’s both amusing and heartfelt. (Rated R, 101 minutes).

Storm Rider: Legend of Hammerhead

The ambition exceeds the grasp of this derivative thriller that borrows so liberally from The Hunger Games, Death Race, and other dystopian science-fiction sagas that you’d think it was a lampoon if it didn’t take itself so seriously. It’s set in the future following a massive flood that divided the planet into islands overrun by bureaucratic corruption. A visionary young speedboat driver (Marco Ilso) might be the only hope to channel a legendary hero, discover the truth, and free the oppressed. Plagued by middling effects, a logically challenged mythology, and hollow subtext, the head-scratching film fails to escalate the stakes or generate the intended rooting interest. (Not rated, 104 minutes).

Undertone

Technical achievement outweighs narrative proficiency in this unsettling yet hollow supernatural thriller, which amounts to an impressive experiment in sound design supporting a generic script. The lone on-screen speaking character is a paranormal podcaster (Nina Kiri), fatigued from caring for her aging mother, recording her latest episode in her basement studio when some recordings she’s been sent to analyze on-air take a dark and personal turn. Some creative audio gimmickry — screaming, clanging, whistling, etc. — immerses us in the paranoia and unease, although the slow-burning dread succumbs to genre tropes rather than coalescing into a compelling payoff. Still, it’s a promising debut for director Ian Tuason. (Rated R, 93 minutes).