Review of Alpha (2018) by Circleville C — 18 Aug 2018

Alpha takes place 20,000 years ago in Europe, and trails the son of a tribe leader who gets to go on his first big hunt with the men of his tribe. Eager to make his father proud, his is unfortunately thrown from a cliff in the midst of the hunt, and after much agonizing the tribe leaves him to their ancestors assuming he is dead. With an injured foot and trying to find his way home, he soon befriends a wolf he names Alpha and they quickly learn to depend on one another.

Director Albert Hughes reminds viewers how small we are in this great big world by using wide views of wilderness and sweeping shots of the scenery and wildlife (from 20,000 years ago). Filmed in Alberta Canada, the landscape is breathtaking as we shadow the tribe heading to the hunt, and then follow Keda, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, trying to find his way home. The hot sun during the day and the cold air of the night quickly turn to snow and ice as the pair struggle for survival. There were fantastic night sky views I did enjoy some really cool underwater shots as well.

All speech is subtitled, though there is not much dialogue to read. There is inspiration woven into nearly every word of the tribe leader and he shows great leadership until his son is thrown from the cliff. This movie is straightforward in its storyline, taking great leaps to make the script work and few detours along the way, though it does offer one surprise at the end, which I won't share here.

I rate this movie a 2 out of 5. There isn't much to be excited about in this movie aside from the beautiful countryside and stunning visuals. Animal lovers and those who have not seen survival movies in the past may find this to be worth the watch, but it is a generally overplayed synopsis that left me bored.