The biggest disappointment isn't that Alpha is a bad film—it isn't. The real disappointment is that it had the ingredients to become something special but settles for being painfully average.
After months of anticipation, Alpha had everything going in its favour. As the first women-led film in the YRF Spy Universe, it carried the promise of offering a fresh perspective to a franchise built on larger-than-life action, charismatic heroes, and slick espionage. Unfortunately, Alpha never quite lives up to that promise. Instead, it ends up being another underwhelming entry in the spy universe, even managing to edge past War 2 in the race to become the more mediocre film.
To be fair, the film doesn't start badly. The opening act is engaging, the setup is intriguing, and a handful of action sequences genuinely manage to raise your excitement. For a brief moment, it feels like the film is building towards something memorable. Sadly, that momentum quickly disappears. As the narrative progresses, the screenplay becomes increasingly inconsistent, with twists and developments that feel more confusing than compelling. Without venturing into spoiler territory, there comes a point where you're left wondering what exactly is happening and why any of it should matter.
One of the biggest disappointments is Alia Bhatt's casting. She is undoubtedly one of the finest performers of her generation, and whenever the film allows her to simply act, she is convincing and emotionally grounded. However, the moment the film shifts into high-octane action mode, the illusion falls apart. Despite the training and effort, the action never feels impactful or believable enough to sell her as an elite spy. The film repeatedly asks the audience to buy into something that never fully works.
Sharvari, despite showing immense potential in her previous performances, is surprisingly underutilized. Instead of being an equal partner in the story, she often feels like a supporting player whose character exists primarily to accompany Alia's journey. Given that the film was marketed as a two-woman action spectacle, this comes across as a missed opportunity.
Even Hrithik Roshan's much-talked-about cameo doesn't leave the impact one would expect. Instead of elevating the narrative or creating genuine excitement, it feels more like a calculated franchise obligation than an organically satisfying moment. Fans expecting goosebumps may walk away feeling underwhelmed.
Director Shiv Rawail deserves partial credit for staging a few well-executed sequences and maintaining a polished visual aesthetic. However, direction alone cannot rescue a film weighed down by a mediocre story and an unfocused screenplay. The writing lacks emotional depth, memorable character arcs, and the kind of gripping tension that defines the best spy thrillers.
The biggest disappointment isn't that Alpha is a bad film—it isn't. The real disappointment is that it had the ingredients to become something special but settles for being painfully average. With a talented cast, a massive production scale, and the backing of an established cinematic universe, expectations were naturally high. Unfortunately, Alpha rarely justifies them.
For a film that was supposed to redefine the YRF Spy Universe with its female leads, Alpha ultimately feels like a missed opportunity. It delivers a few entertaining moments, but not enough to make the journey worthwhile. By the time the credits roll, you're left thinking less about what happened on screen and more about what the film could have been.
