Alpha (2026) Review!!!

Synopsis – The movie follows a lethal young operative raised to kill who is eventually forced to team up with another female agent to take down a ruthless nemesis in a brutal showdown.

My Take – With the colossal success of Pathaan (2023), YRF’s ambitious Spy Universe seemed to have locked into an unbeatable rhythm — a formula that echoed across films yet carried its own heart and gravitas. That momentum faltered when Tiger 3 (2023) under-performed and War 2 (2025) outright collapsed. Still, anticipation surrounded this latest entry, not least because the franchise, long propped up by its male superstars, was now pivoting to its first female-led spy thriller.

The good news: it’s a step up from War 2. Directed by Shiv Rawail, whose Railway Men on Netflix was widely acclaimed, this seventh installment is far more coherent than the expensive spoof its predecessor resembled. Glossy, glamorous, and mounted with old-school intensity, it thrives on spectacle and polished action.

The bad news: while not the disaster skeptics predicted, it isn’t the reinvention the franchise sorely needed. Emotion remains elusive, leaving the film short of the resonance it promises. Penned by Soumil Shukla, Shridhar Raghavan, Ishita Moitra, and Uday Chopra, the script positions itself around patriotism, sisterhood, and family bonds. Yet from costumes to combat, it plays more like a rehash of Black Widow (2021), with shades of Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).

Resulting in a patchwork that never finds its own pulse. Much like its predecessor, this release too reinforces the perception that YRF must pause, reflect, and invest in stronger writing if the Spy Universe is to reclaim its glory days, or else risk fading into irrelevance.

Set in the aftermath of the Kargil War, the story revolvs around Alpha, a clandestine super-soldier program conceived by Colonel Fateh Singh Lakhawat (Bobby Deol) and Dr. John Varghese (Dibyendu Bhattacharya), under the aegis of Fateh’s superior, Colonel Vikrant Kaul (Anil Kapoor). At its core lies a serum engineered by Vikrant, designed to heighten endurance and rewrite the rules of modern warfare.

But when tragedy strikes — test subjects perish, and Vikrant’s wife Janaki (Dia Mirza) dies during childbirth after being injected with the serum — the program is shuttered. Unknown to Vikrant, Fateh conceals the truth: the newborn survives. In a desperate bid to keep Alpha alive, he claims the child as his own experiment. Raised under his watchful eye, the girl is molded into the ultimate soldier, he names Sita (Alia Bhatt).

Uday Chopra’s story has the right ingredients for an engaging origin tale: a girl raised in captivity as part of a scientific experiment, forced to confront her past. It’s a premise that promises both visceral action and genuine emotion. Yet the film falters because that emotional connection never truly takes root. As long as Sita is on her relentless killing spree, the film holds together. But whenever the action pauses, the narrative detours into emotional subplots that rarely justify their weight.

That unevenness becomes the film’s biggest flaw. Twists pile up one after another — a few land, but the constant barrage soon exhausts. Instead of building intrigue, the screenplay leans on shock value. At its core lies the idea of family, but the 140‑minute runtime rushes through moments that should breathe, compressing them into fragments. The most glaring issue, however, is how the film treats its female leads.

Naming them Sita and Durga, handing them Ramayana‑tinged dialogues, dressing them in every action‑film accessory, and striking heroic poses — only to have them constantly defer to Fateh and Kaul before taking meaningful action — reduces agency to mimicry. Worse, the film objectifies its fighter women whenever possible, culminating in a baffling post‑credit number.

Patriotism arrives just as abruptly. Sita, whose emotional universe has been defined by captivity and manipulation, is suddenly positioned as a nationalist icon. The shift feels less like an earned transformation than a mandatory franchise checkbox.

On the brighter side, the film delivers relentless action underscored by a refreshing background score. Its choreography embraces a stylish, almost theatrical flair, prioritizing cinematic presence over raw adrenaline. The leads radiate charisma while stunt doubles execute demanding sequences with precision.

Performance wise, Alia Bhatt throws her punches with confidence, navigates stunt choreography effortlessly, and carries the physicality of the role with surprising ease. Yet she lacks the commanding screen presence the action genre demands. Instead, it is Sharvari who steals the spotlight, embodying the soldier’s grit with wit, sharp instincts, and convincing combat technique — consistently outshining Alia at every turn.

Anil Kapoor delivers exactly what’s expected, layering his father-figure role with welcome emotional depth. Bobby Deol invests genuine effort and emerges as a compelling antagonist. Dibyendu Bhattacharya remains likable throughout, while Dia Mirza adds warmth in her brief cameo. Hrithik Roshan’s fleeting appearance lends the proceedings a much-needed sense of credibility, grounding the spectacle with star power. On the whole, ‘Alpha‘ is a competently mounted yet unimaginative spy thriller that delivers spectacle but very few genuine highs.