“Alpha” is a prehistoric adventure film that was made in America in the year 2018. The film is directed by Albert Hughes and stars Kodi Smit-McPhee in the leading role. Its narrative is set roughly 20000 years ago in Europe during the Upper Paleolithic era and follows the intertwining nature of humans and dogs through a breathtaking yet tragic tale.
Synopsis:
The film centers around a character named Keda, who is played by Kodi Smit-McPhee. He is a part of a nomadic tribe that is led by his father, Tau, who is portrayed by Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson. Keda starts the film by trying to prove himself during his first hunting trip with his father. Things take a turn for the worse when Keda’s group believes he is dead after he falls from a cliff during a bison hunt. Alone and gravely injured, he desperately tries to find his way home through the wilderness.
Keda gets attacked by a pack of wolves, one of which he goes on to injure in an act of self-defense. Rather than leaving the grievously wounded animal behind, he chooses to take care of the creature which in turns gives rise to a bond between the two whereby he names it Alpha. Together, they train and overcome an abundance of grueling tasks, including perilous terrains, harsh storms, and deadly foes. The development of their bond showcases a story of mutual trust and faith which shifts the narrative of how humans and wolves might have shared the initial ties that paved the way for the domestication of dogs.
Cast and Crew:
Kodi Smit-McPhee as Keda: The role of the young hunter is performed by Smit-McPhee who further captures the essence of a fragile and resistant survivor of a pre historic world spectacularly.
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Tau: As Keda’s father and the tribe’s chief, Jóhannesson gives a powerful and stoic look to a character that had to move his people through a dangerous way of life.
Natassia Malthe as Rho: She is part of the tribe playing Keda’s mother and brings a caring presence.
Leonor Varela as Shaman: Stars as the tribe’s spiritual leader who provides insightful advices and ritual actions adding to the depth of narration.
Considered one of the Hughes brothers, Albert Hughes is most known for his piece titled “The Book of Eli.” In his film “Alpha,” he portrays his vision through the lens and opts to keep dialogue to a bare minimum. This aids in accentuating the pristine beauty and isolation of the prehistoric setting. Daniele Sebastian Wiedenhaupt wrote the screenplay, building upon ideas developed by Hughes. Martin Gschlacht, the cinematographer, photographed the wide open spaces in stunning detail, as did the composers Michael Stearns and Joseph S. DeBeasi, only they did so for the score, bringing even more emotion into it.
Critical Reception:
Alpha, a film released in the year 2018, was met with mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 79%, based on 143 reviews, with the consensus stating, “Well-acted and wonderfully made, Alpha possesses a dog-assisted epic action that mixes electrifying adventure with an added dose of canine cuteness.”
Metacritic reports a score of 63 out of 100 with a note of “generally favorable reviews.”
Critics did appreciate the bond and connection Keda and Alpha develop throughout the film and the movie’s overall aesthetic. The Washington Post notes, “Alpha is an ice-age love story set between a boy and a wolf, and yes, it functions.” Vox praises the film for being deeper than anticipated with “Alpha applies a startling twist to a traditional boy-and-his-dog tale, and succeeds.”
Nonetheless, several reviews critiqued the film’s focus on CGI and the overall simplicity of the plot. In the words of an IMDb user review, “Alpha is broad in scope but simplistic in its storyline. It spectacularly shows how the world would appear to feel like 20,000 years ago through the lens of a breathtaking virtual scenery.”
Analysis:
It is the emotional journey of the film, as well as the stunning visual storytelling that sets “Alpha” apart.
The film’s strength comes from its ability to tell a compelling story with almost no dialogue while incorporating universal themes of struggle, friendship, and unexpected connections.
The highlight of the cinematography is on the expansive shots of the ancient landscape which casts the audience deep into the Ice Age reality. Meanwhile, the created language imitated some aspects of primitive human society, which was helpful but also required readers to view the subtitles as distracting.
Keda and Alpha’s relationship represents the emotional anchor in the film, hinting to the audience as to the speculated origins of the human and dog relations. The way the film simplifies the process of domestication took a great liberty with the narrative, but the film gets the general premise of interdependent trust between humans and animals correct.
In conclusion, “Alpha” is a stunning film that blends adventure and drama as it artfully depicts the ideas of friendship and survival. The connection between a young hunter and a wolf in the film exemplifies, and deeply reflects, the roots of one of the most enduring relationships between a human and wolf and hunter and pet.
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