“Safe Haven” is the latest film adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, starring Julianne Hough as Katie and Josh Duhamel as Alex. In this romantic story, Katie is on the run from an ambiguous, dark past. She finds safe haven in the small North Carolina town of Southport and meets Alex, a widower with two kids.

Initially, Katie resists Alex’s charm, or anyone’s company for that matter. Things start looking up as she finds a job, rents a cabin and befriends her neighbor, Jo, whose home is not close by city standards. Through sunsets and walks on the beach, Alex and Katie eventually fall in love. It’s only a matter of time until Katie’s dark secrets begin to tear her new life apart and force her to tell Alex what she’s hiding.

Behind the scenes, a detective obsessed with finding Katie is tracking her and has even put her name and picture on the most wanted list. While the action part of the movie was intense, the rest of the storyline falls flat.

This love story is very predictable and unoriginal. The ending is a strangest twist that has nothing to do with the plot of the movie. “Safe Haven” unsuccessfully tries to balance thriller with romance as Nicholas Sparks refuses to stay with his normally successful formula.