Altered (2025) – Promised a Dystopian Thriller, Delivered a Total Snoozefest

Altered (2025), directed by Timo Vuorensola, looked like it was going to be my kind of dystopian sci-fi ride… and then it crashed harder than a genetically-enhanced superhero without batteries. What started with a tiny spark turned into 85 minutes of wooden dialogue, awkward scenes that don’t connect, and boredom so thick I kept checking the clock. My lowest-rated movie of the year so far: a sad 4/10.

Starring Tom Felton as Leon and Liza Bugulova as Chloe, this 87-minute “thriller” is set in a world where genetically enhanced humans rule and the rest live underground. Sounds cool on paper… feels completely flat on screen.

The Plot: From “Okay, I’m Curious” to “When Will This End?”

In an alternate present, genetic upgrades are the new class system. The rich and powerful are basically superhumans, while normal people get pushed into the shadows. Leon and Chloe—two outcasts—are supposed to fight back against corrupt politicians and level the playing field.

That’s literally it. The story is paper-thin and recycled from a hundred better dystopian movies. The only vaguely original idea is that our hero gets some kind of plant-based/flower-power suit instead of an Iron Man armor… and even that feels half-baked and silly instead of fresh. Scenes jump from one random moment to the next with zero logic, characters say lines like robots, and nothing ever builds any real tension. Thank God it’s only 85 minutes, because it still felt laborious.

What Went Wrong (Pretty Much Everything)

• Script: terrible. Dialogue sounds like it was written by AI that only watched dystopian trailers.
• Acting: uneven at best, wooden at worst. Even Tom Felton looks like he’s just collecting a paycheck.
• Pacing & tone: all over the place. One minute it wants to be serious, next minute it’s accidentally funny in the wrong way.
• Logic: scenes feel copy-pasted together. Characters make decisions that make zero sense.
• Originality: zero. We’ve seen this exact movie done way better (District 9, Elysium, Upgrade… pick any).

The whole thing is underbaked and overcooked at the same time. A total miss.

Ratings and Critical Reception

• IMDb: no rating yet (too new)
• Rotten Tomatoes: no official score, but the 7 early critic reviews are all negative
• Box office: $346k after one week in limited US release on a $15 million budget… ouch.

Even the numbers are screaming “stay away.”

A Hard Pass Unless You Love Pain

At 4/10, Altered is the definition of disappointing. It had a cool poster, a semi-interesting premise, and the guy who played Draco Malfoy… and somehow wasted every second of it. Save your 87 minutes and watch literally anything else.

What did you think of Altered? Did I miss something, or is it really this bad? Let me know in the comments (and please tell me it wasn’t just me who almost fell asleep).

Next time, suggest something good—I clearly need to cleanse my palate after this one. Anything with actual thrills, decent writing, or at least one memorable scene.

If this honest rant helped you dodge a bullet, drop a like and follow so we can suffer (or celebrate) together next time. See you in the next one—hopefully a much better one! 😅