Review: ALTERED Finds Ambition in a Fractured Dystopia

Tom Felton leads a grounded, idea-heavy dystopian thriller that never stops reaching — even when it stumbles.

Review: Altered

Timo Vuorensola returns to dystopian territory with Altered, a stripped-down sci-fi thriller that trades the maximalist spectacle of his Iron Sky films for a more contained, socially driven narrative. The result is a movie packed with ideas, ambition, and mood — even if not all of it fully comes together.

Set in a future divided by genetic class, Altered explores a world where inequality is no longer economic or political, but biological. Society is split between those born “enhanced” and those left behind — a premise that feels timely, unsettling, and ripe for genre storytelling.

Tom Felton leads the film with a grounded, surprisingly restrained performance. Rather than leaning into genre bombast, Felton plays his role with quiet frustration and suspicion, anchoring the film emotionally even when the story veers into stranger territory. It’s a refreshing shift from the usual dystopian archetypes and easily the film’s strongest asset.

Visually and conceptually, Altered flirts with a unique hybrid aesthetic — part cyberpunk, part organic futurism — incorporating unconventional design choices that give the film its own identity. Some of these ideas are genuinely intriguing and help separate the film from more generic sci-fi entries.

However, ambition doesn’t always equal cohesion. While the worldbuilding is dense and thoughtfully constructed, the film occasionally struggles with pacing and clarity. Certain ideas feel introduced without enough space to fully breathe, and some character dynamics don’t land as strongly as they could. There’s a sense that the film is more interested in presenting concepts than fully interrogating them.

That said, Altered never feels lazy or disposable. Supporting performances — including turns from Richard Brake and Aggy K. Adams — add texture, and Vuorensola’s direction remains confident even when the narrative falters. This is a filmmaker clearly trying to say something, even if the execution doesn’t always hit its mark.

Ultimately, Altered is a solid mid-tier genre entry: thoughtful, strange, occasionally messy, but never boring. Sci-fi fans who enjoy dystopian allegories and off-center worldbuilding will find plenty to chew on, even if the film doesn’t fully live up to its potential.

Rating: 2.5 / 5

Altered arrives on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray January 20 via Well Go USA.