Decibel

A Messy Fusion of Poor Research, Forced Comedy, and Dated Melodrama250524 (0.6)Is this a terror thriller or a military mystery? It fails at both due to terrible research, but adding cringey comedy and forced sentimentality makes it even worse—this isn't the 90s anymore. The premise is riddled with holes; for instance, would the military really put two brothers in such a high-risk training scenario together? The central "100dB" gimmick feels completely unrealistic. A stadium full of cheering fans would easily surpass that limit instantly, yet the movie treats it as a difficult threshold to reach. Even an Apple Watch triggers noise warnings at 90dB just from a loud cough!The antagonist, supposedly a Mensa member with an IQ of 170, executes a revenge plot that feels incredibly amateur for someone of that intellect. Despite a year of preparation, he fails to use basic spyware or wiretapping, allowing the heroes to resolve issues with alternative devices far too easily. The security in this film is also non-existent; a child wearing a literal bomb vest walks into a national event and is allowed to stand on stage for ten minutes without a single guard intervening. Even the characters are wasted—the protagonist's wife is a cop and he is a reporter, yet instead of providing strategic support, they are used as a comedic duo. The reporter husband eventually runs into a life-threatening situation with a sudden, unearned sense of duty, leaving his young son alone at a terror site for no logical reason. Between the lack of tactical realism and the bloated, inconsistent tone, this film is a massive disappointment.