Prehistoric boy bonds with ‘Alpha’ dog
“Alpha,” presented in 3D IMAX and other formats, is an epic fantasy set 20,000 years ago somewhere in Europe. It begins as a father-son saga.
Keda (Kodi SmitMcPhee, 22 playing 14) is the sensitive offspring of tribal chief Tau (Iceland’s Johannes Haukur Johannesson). He is so sensitive, he won’t slit a pig’s throat for dinner.
“He leads with his heart,” says his mum.
On a buffalo hunting expedition, the men, armed only with spears and knives, endure a tragedy, and “Alpha” changes from a family story to a survival saga.
Does the disabled Keda have the luck, and more importantly, the grit to find his way back home when he faces days, maybe weeks, of hiking through threatening territory?
At this juncture, “Alpha” transforms yet again, now becoming a buddy movie when injured Keda bonds with an injured wolf/dog
who resembles a wonderfully shampooed and fluffy German shepherd whom he names Alpha.
His dad has explained that the alpha male is the leader who must always be ready to defend his top dog status.
As Alpha’s wound heals and the two ever so slowly make that long trip home, “Alpha” wends its way to a predictable upbeat finish that offers one big surprise.
Directed by Albert Hughes, who is credited with the story, and scripted by Daniele Sebastian Wiedenhaupt, “Alpha” has seamless computer-generated imagery that presents the sky, stars and vast empty landscapes as the wonders of the natural world that they were.
The tribesmen, with their perfectly white teeth, trimmed beards, shaved scalps and picturesque outerwear, give “Alpha” a fantastic sheen that suggests this is really an offshoot of one adventurous designer’s runway show at Paris Fashion Week.
At one point, Keda and Alpha go swimming — they smell! — and who knew loincloths were popular even before Tarzan was swinging on vines.
“Alpha” can be seen as an old-style Hollywood adventure film with an apt moral about trusting your inner self in tough times.
Sadly, while there was an army of visual effects artists and animators to create the wonders we see, the dog or dogs that star as Alpha get no billing.