The following is a movie review “Alpha”
by Marc Primo.
Initial release: August 16, 2018 (Singapore)
Director: Albert Hughes
Budget: 51 million USD
Language: English
Story by: Allen Hughes
This movie sets out to describe the "origin of man's best friend," but it ends up sharing attention with the lush vistas of endless snowy tundras and skylines of the 20,000 years back Europe. The film must be watched in Imax, in as big a screen as possible anything less would be sacrilege. Awe-inspiring doesn't start to describe the visuals.
Tau (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), the"alpha" of the tribe and his boy Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee) are first on-screen bison hunting with the tribe. Greatness is anticipated of Keda, yet he's a bit soft when it comes to killing animals. "Life is for the strong!" His dad lectures "You must earn it!" Tau tells Keda about the alpha wolf, and how it earns its leading role in the pack. Teaching his son how a leader is made not born. During the main hunt, Keda fails to stay in line with the other hunters and a raging bison takes notice. Charging towards him Keda runs and is finally plunged off a cliff. After a very heartbreaking scene, his father and tribe must move on and leave him for dead.
We later find out Keda is hurt but still alive. His plunge into the abyss serves as a catalyst to set him out on his epic tale. Keda's situation seems impossible -- any hesitation means certain death. Soon after, Keda is hunted by wolves who find the injured prey tasty. In his escape, Keda injures the pack's alpha wolf, and it is left for dead. Being the gentle soul that he is, Keda decides to nurse the wolf and protect it until it can fend for itself. Slowly, the two start to trust one another and he names it Alpha. This gives birth to the conjectured first man and beast friendship.
The film remains true to a time before English could have been spoken. This creates another layer of mystery. The dialect spoken by Tau and Keda is unknown to us, but the subtitles make for straightforward translations. Not that there is much dialogue. The best feature of "Alpha" is its imagery, which can be magnificent in IMAX. Hughes produced a world that is as beautiful as it is dangerous. The characters are framed at the center of a vast and endless landscape. The water is preternaturally blue, the sky is chock filled with stars and the earth is unforgivingly covered in ice and ruthless winds.
This film should be displayed in museums indefinitely. Children and parents alike will love it, since "Alpha" is an exciting adventure film with vast opportunities to learn. Definitely worth watching!
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