Amber Alert (2024) review – Hayden Panettiere Stars in a Tense If Formulaic Thriller

Welcome to Knockout Horror and to day 13 of our 2024 31 Days of Halloween feature. I am, very obviously, cheating a little bit today. We are taking a look at Kerry Bellessa’s Amber Alert, a brand-new release for 2024.

Obviously not a horror movie

As you can probably guess, this really isn’t a horror movie. It’s more of a cat-and-mouse thriller as a pair of ride-share companions spot a car that has appeared on an Amber Alert notification linked to the disappearance of a young girl. Convinced that the car is connected to the crime, the pair follow it leading to an extensive, hair-raising, chase across the county.

“This is a remake of Bellessa’s poorly received 2012 film. I’m glad to say she was right to take another swing at it, as this movie is quite a lot of fun.”

This is a remake of Bellessa’s very poorly received Amber Alert from 2012. I am guessing she felt as though she could do things a little better and wanted another swing at it? I’m glad to say, if that was the case, that she was right as this movie is quite a lot of fun.

An interesting thriller concept

Amber Alert is actually quite a lot of fun. You should know what to expect when going into a movie like this. It’s going to be a cat-and-mouse chase with a few thrills, a couple of kills, and maybe a decent amount of action. There is a lot of crossover between thrillers and horrors so I think horror fans can find plenty to like here.

The Amber Alert system was brought into play back in the late 90s as a tribute to Amber Hagerman, a nine-year-old girl who was abducted while riding her bike in Arlington, Texas. Sadly, Amber never made it back home to her parents and tougher laws related to people who commit these types of crimes were demanded by the local people and press.

This, eventually, resulted in the Amber Alert system, designed to inform people via phones, radio, bulletin boards and other services, when a child is abducted. The Amber Alert system is something many Americans will be familiar with. This film plays on that concept after a child goes missing and an alert is issued, albeit a vague one devoid of a license plate number.

Fairly formulaic but fun

For the most part, this is a pretty by-the-numbers thriller movie that plays to type. Especially if you have watched Bellessa’s original version of Amber Alert, it is formulaic thriller stuff with few innovations and nothing particularly new to speak of. Amber Alert simply does what you would expect it to do: provide the viewer with some fun cat-and-mouse style shenanigans and a few moments of action.

“Hayden Panettiere and Tyler Williams are very likeable and have solid motivations. Panettiere’s Jaq is in full ‘mamma bear’ mode and it is a lot of fun.”

That might not sound all that exciting or special but how much can you expect from this type of movie? The format is fairly limiting due to the predominantly car-based setting and the plot is about as predictable as they come. Amber Alert simply does enough to stay entertaining. Our two main characters, Shane (Tyler James Williams) and Jaq (Hayden Panettiere) are very likeable and have solid motivations behind their resolve to catch this person. The pacing is decent enough to stay engaging throughout and there are some comical interactions between characters.

Amber Alert doesn’t have too many down moments. Things start off pretty quickly with very little preamble and they really don’t let up from there. We have a moment or two for the characters to reflect on their life and choices but nothing too distracting. It is straight back to the action and a rapid march to the movie’s conclusion. This is simple, easy to digest, uncomplicated thriller fun.

Temper your expectations

If you have any aspirations of this being a mind-blowing experience, you may want to dial it in a little. As mentioned above, this is about as middle-of-the-road as they come and there are issues. There is a distinctly PG-13 feeling to Amber Alert.

There isn’t a great deal of violence, only one moment I would consider shocking and even very limited cussing. It is almost reminiscent of made-for-TV thrillers like Daughter in Disguise and Deadly Midwife. You could throw this on in the afternoon of a midweek day and it wouldn’t feel out of place. You wouldn’t even have to worry too much about your kids watching with you.

“It doesn’t innovate in any noteworthy way and is formulaic, but it also doesn’t trip up. It keeps things simple and provides enough thrills to keep you entertained.”

The nature of the setting limits the thrills. This is, mostly, two cars playing a game of chicken for the majority of its length. The character interactions make for the bulk of the content and the thrills often take a backseat. The ending may not be satisfying to everyone but it seems perfectly fitting, given the story, albeit rather predictable.

A number of problems and plot holes

There are plot holes here and there. A few moments that seem important, given the context, are later ignored. This is done purely to up the tension and some of the things that happen are pretty ridiculous. But that is a trait of thrillers as a whole.

Acting is solid. As mentioned above, Hayden Panettiere and Tyler Williams are both very likeable and both do a decent job. Hayden Panettiere’s Jaq is in full “mamma bear” mode here and it is a lot of fun. Both have some enjoyably convincing moments of emotion, as well, on a couple of occasions.

The script never gets in the way but isn’t exactly exceptional. Pacing is decent and the movie doesn’t feature too much down time. Direction is unremarkable but sufficient. There are some interesting exterior shots of the car chases. I can’t help but feel like a little more could have been done to enhance these moments, though.

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