The Stream: Unoriginal to the max!

The Big Screen: Solid Jessica Alba knife work!

The Final Bill: Another average installment of a movie we didn’t need made again but is still slightly entertaining

– S2S: Movie Reviews
Director: Mouly Surya
Writers: John Brancato, Josh Olson, Halley Wegryn Gross
Stars: Jessica Alba, Mark Webber, Anthony Michael Hall, Tone Bell, Gabriel Basso
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Rating: TV-MA (for violence)
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes
Production Companies: Thunder Road Pictures, Lady Spitfire
Platform: Released on Netflix June 21, 2024
Coming Soon to Netflix: A Family Affair, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Hey, Streamers! If you don’t want to leave home because you’re comfortable in A/C, maybe there is something good on streaming. Netflix keeps releasing these random movies that you had no idea anyone was even making. Right now, it’s a movie starring Jessica Alba called Trigger Warning. Alba plays Parker, a skilled Special Forces officer who has to return home to New Mexico after her father’s unexpected death. When it is suggested that her father committed suicide, Parker starts investigating the incident and comes into conflict with a violent gang in the town. Knife-playing hijinks ensue.

First off… where has Jessica Alba been? Did she stay out of movies for a decade so that everyone would forget her foray into the dance movie genre (Honey, anyone?) and that she’s a mom? Because here, she comes back as an action star and strangely the action sequences don’t look that awkward. That gets her back to her “Dark Angel” roots. Also, did J-Lo turn this role down or did she think she had enough after The Mother?

(Trip interjects: It definitely feels like J-Lo turned this movie down, and they had to make the main character younger and Mexican.)

Next, we’ve seen this story so many times it’s unreal. Every character trope from Walking Tall was followed. Quiet as it’s kept, if the Rock had starred in this flick… it might have been a banger, but I digress. The small-town kid that gets out to become a badass soldier or spy or fighter comes home to wrap things up after a family tragedy, but they find a dark secret that permeates the town. Come on, y’all! Do better! We’ve seen this and it’s been done better. Yes, the movie slightly entertaining, and Jessica Alba does a pretty good job. However, none of it is original and none of it quite fits to make a good movie. Alba’s fighting sequences are pretty solid but also highly unbelievable especially considering the injuries these people would’ve had. Then we have the story where it’s a small town with one family in charge?!? Come on. It’s obvious that they had to have something to do with it. I mean they don’t even really show too many other characters. Of course, the main character can’t figure it out until she’s told. Ugh!

Long story short, Trigger Warning is one of those movies that you watch because you want to see if Jessica Alba is still a trash actress. Spoiler: she’s not as trash as she once was. Her acting is still average but now she does some fight sequences without force fields! When you put together average acting with an unoriginal storyline, you get a handful of popcorn to snack on scrolling through Netflix.