Safe Haven
3 out of 5 Stars
Director • Lasse Hallstrom
Starring • Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel and Cobie Smulders
Rated • PG-13
Recommended to • Those looking for Nicholas Sparks’ attempt at making a romantic thriller.

Katie (Julianne Hough) flees from her mysterious and presumably dark life and ends up in Southport, North Carolina, where she reestablishes herself while falling for Alex (Josh Duhamel), the local widower with two kids. Unfortunately you can’t always outrun the demons from your past.

Another Nicholas Sparks film cut from the exact same mold as every other Nicholas Sparks film. It’s romance with a sense of danger and a guaranteed happy ending. Yes, Sparks is as predictable as a M. Night Shyamalan twist. He has a formula and he’s going to stick to it. “Safe Haven” does try to sneak in a few twists by keep important details from the audience until the end of the film, but most are fairly easy to pick up on because without the twists the characters would make absolutely no sense. You might not exactly guess what the twist is, but you’ll know you’re being toyed with and expect answers before the film is through because Sparks always ties up all the loose ends.

“Safe Haven” is what you’d expect it to be. No more, no less.

-Ryan Michael Painter

(Copyright 2013 Sinclair Broadcast Group)