Alpha (2019) [Blu-ray]
Adventure | Drama | Family

Tagline: Mankind Discovers Man's Best Friend.

An epic adventure set in the last Ice Age. Europe, 20,000 years ago. While on his first hunt with his tribes most elite group, a young man is injured and left for dead. Awakening to find himself broken and alone -- he must learn to survive and navigate the harsh and unforgiving wilderness. Reluctantly taming a lone wolf abandoned by its pack, the pair learn to rely on each other and become unlikely allies, enduring countless dangers and overwhelming odds in order to find their way home before the deadly winter arrives.

Storyline: An epic adventure set in the last Ice Age, Alpha is a fascinating, visually stunning story that shines a light on the origins of man's best friend. While on his first hunt with his tribe's most elite group, a young man is injured and must learn to survive alone in the wilderness. After the young man reluctantly tames a lone wolf abandoned by its pack, the pair learn to rely on each other and become unlikely allies, enduring countless dangers and overwhelming odds in order to find their way home before winter arrives.

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, November 17, 2018 Alpha's survival and coming-of-age story treads familiar ground, but it approaches the tale from a different perspective, that of a young man struggling to survive the natural world's dangers some 20,000 years ago and the then-unlikely bond that increased his chances for survival that, ultimately, as the film would suggest, changed the course of history. Director Albert Hughes, helming his first solo film after years of collaborating with his brother Allen on films like Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, From Hell, and The Book of Eli, makes a sharp tonal turn with Alpha, crafting a touching tale of friendship against the backdrops of both a dangerous world and an unfamiliar way of life. The story is complimented by stunning visuals and breathtaking cinematography courtesy of Martin Gschlacht (Revanche), resulting in a visually triumphant film and an unlikely dramatic, and very absorbing, narrative success.

Young Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and his father Tau (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) are tribal hunters who traverse Europe's unblemished and untamed wild lands in search of food and clothes to keep themselves and the women and children in the village fed, warm, and safe. Keda is not a rebellious child, but he is unable to channel the energies and mental discipline necessary to do the job. He's a reluctant hunter, but his father identifies a powerful spirit within him. On a hunting trip, with the tribe's warriors herding buffalo to their deaths over a steep, vertical cliff, Keda is attacked by one of the few surviving animals, flung over the ledge, and presumed dead. He awakens some time later, perched on a small outcropping that prevented him from falling into the mangled buffalo far below. He's able to escape when torrential rains create a relatively safe landing spot. He's hobbled by a damaged leg which he fixes as best he can. Along his journey back towards home, he befriends a wounded wolf he names "Alpha." The two become traveling partners as they fight the elements, vicious creatures, and hunger along their seemingly impossible journey back to Keda's village.

Alpha tells the story of one young man's bonds with two individuals. Keda's relationship with is father is built on a common language but not necessarily common values. Keda cannot bring himself to kill an animal that is a necessary sacrifice to feed his tribe. His father almost angrily takes the knife and kills the animal himself; Keda has only heard his father's words, not found the internal ability to put them into action. "You take life to give life to your tribe," Keda is told. When Keda's father meets up with another tribe, he speaks with his friend who has lost his son. His friend says that he must be a proud father. "I hope he makes me proud" is Tau's response. In this world, success in life is measured by success in the hunt, in contributing to the group's survival, in understanding what it means to be a hunter and a man.

When Keda is left for dead, he is forced to not necessarily abandon his own instincts but to grow into a man who is both himself and the man his father wishes him to be. He must kill small game to survive. But rather than kill an injured wolf for food, he sees in it a commonality, maybe even a spiritual connection, that instinctively tells him that the creature is more than a meal and perhaps a source of warmth but potentially an important part of his life and his survival. In their travels, Keda gains mental strength even as his physical strength wanes. He finds hope in the animal, and it in him. He remains fearful of the obstacles he and the wolf he calls "Alpha" face, which include dangerous and ravenous beasts; frigid, life-taking weather; and almost uncrossable terrain. Keda's battle with his own code and fears are an early obstacle, but with Alpha at his side, he can be himself, he can grow at his own pace, and the animal will always be there for him. With Alpha, he learns the same lessons his father taught but a different perspective triggers his growth. Where the rigid structure of the tribe and his father's strict style failed him, hardship and unlikely friendship propel his growth into a man. His growth is of course forced upon him by the survival instinct, but watching the character grow on his own terms makes for a very rewarding narrative structure.

One of the movie's great values comes in its use of a tribal language. The film is subtitled rather than the characters conversing in generically defaulted English. While dialogue is not uncommon, whether amongst the tribe or one-sided between Keda and Alpha, the movie truly thrives on character bonds, challenges in the world, and the unspoken emotional connections between the teenager and the wolf. Alpha would have worked, and might have actually worked better, with no dialogue at all, but resisting a more audience accessible verbal structure does wonders to further draw the audience into the movie and its heart. The film's narrative strengths are further reinforced by beautifully structured cinematic elegance. The movie is a triumph of not only cinematography by itself but compelling narrative-building and character exploration through carefully crafted and elegant shots. Considering the relative dearth of visual complexities -- tribal costumes and natural earth formations are about it -- the precise and absorbing photography becomes only more impressive.

Alpha is one of the most pleasant surprises of 2018. Richly layered, beautifully acted and photographed, and heartfelt, the film proves ever compelling and a treat for the eyes and the spirit. Sony's Blu-ray is quite good, delivering top-rate video and audio along with a nice little assortment of extra content. Highly recommended.

[CSW] -2.2- This is a boy and his dog story that you want to love but it's so awkward that you are glad that you only rented it. While the movie was quite an adventure, the storyline was totally preposterous. So many things that happened contradicted reality. It is a laughable setting but it does get credit for some decent CGI. The movie is relatively short, but it felt almost too long. Long, action less shots were used frequently. I presume this was to build tension, but the relief of that tension was always underwhelming. There is a plausibility problem. A tribe travels a massive distance to hunt a huge animal they have to haul all the way home (presumably before the corpses rot) AND they only do this one time per year. In all I found the acting and the story line to be far too unbelievable. Still, if all you want is a boy and his dog story no matter how unbelievable…
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box slightly enhanced this movie.


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