From one glimpse at the story of Alpha, it would be easy to write it off as a silly, dumbed-down, almost Disneyesque tale of man’s first encounter with our furry friends. In actuality, it has all the makings of a tale like this: a young man in prehistoric times, lacking his fair share of survival skills, is left behind by his tribe, and is forced to become self-sufficient in order to make it home, while along the way befriending an injured wolf.
Yet, despite the relative ease with which Alpha could simply have been a throwaway, feel-good coming-of-age adventure, instead there is surprising sincerity behind its production. From its use of a fictional, pre-English language, to the striking landscape cinematography, to the passion behind the performances themselves (including breakout star Chuck, who plays the pup), the film is almost insistently watchable.
Capturing History
Alpha takes place in Europe around 20,000 years ago. Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a young pre-adolescent out on his first hunting trip along with his father Tau (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) and their tribe. Along the way, he is taught important life lessons from his father, including the importance of self-sufficiency and doing what is necessary in order to survive. Keda is at first reluctant to take his father’s lessons to heart, such as when he refuses to kill a wild boar for food, yet his father still has faith in the strength of his son.
After an intense hunt against a group of bison, though, Keda is thrown off a cliff, landing on a rock outcropping, and despite his father’s desperate desire to get to his son, they are forced to leave him for dead. After the tribe has moved on from the hunt, Keda suddenly awakes, and finding himself now alone, is forced to truly fend for himself for the first time. Soon after this, he encounters an injured wolf, and despite some initial friction, the two soon develop a mutual bond.
The first indicator that Alpha will perhaps be more than its relatively simple and somewhat generic synopsis would suggest is its use of a fictional language, which sounds somewhere between old English and French. Unlike a majority of films set in prehistoric times, which simply use English as the language spoken (and typically with a British accent, for some reason), the production of Alpha is actually far closer to a movie like Mel Gibson‘s Apocalypto. Imagine not only writing a language solely for a film’s production, but then requiring your actors to learn this language, and to also act while doing so. The fact that you gain a real sense of the impact of the dialogue spoken despite not being in a regognizable dialect is a testament to the production itself.
In addition to this, the film is shot against a beautiful backdrop. Lit up by minimal light at the magic hour just before sunset, or while gazing at the wondrous constellations at night as they appear in the open countryside, much of Alpha is breathtaking. Overhead shots show the wide-open landscape from above, while silhouettes of the characters from the side show these prehistoric men as triumphant soldiers, attempting to conquer and overcome this arduous environment. Alpha easily could have been shot lazily, but instead cinematographer Martin Gschlacht and director Albert Hughes choose a much more enthralling route.
The Ruffenant
Of course, one of the primary reasons for seeing Alpha will likely be the story about a boy bonding with a wolf. Marketed as a film in which to “witness the origin of the relationship that changed our world forever,” it has plenty to offer with that regard. Keda and the wolf, who he names Alpha, are slow to connect at first, with the initial wildness of the wolf being a clear barrier between them.
Yet, as time progresses, the two soon realize the symbiotic relationship that could exist between them, especially when it comes to hunting. It’s easy to surmise, despite the fact that we can never know for sure, that this is how humans and dogs initially became as close as we are today.
Such an aspect does occasionally act to the film’s detriment, however. In an effort to spread as much sympathy as possible towards Alpha, there are several somewhat shoehorned scenes in which the canine steps in to save Keda in various ways, including one having to do with him getting caught under ice. It’s just a tad unnecessary, though; I was already on board from the first time Keda and Alpha hunted a wild boar together. Thankfully, the film never gets too outlandish for its own good, and despite some initial threats of this (bison charging head-on into the men seems particularly inaccurate), it mostly feels like a grounded endeavor.
Coming-of-age story of survival
Even without the addition of the boy-wolf bond, Alpha succeeds as a survival film as a whole. Kodi Smit-McPhee steps wholeheartedly into the role, making a believable transgression from young, afraid boy to fully-fledged man. Since much of the film simply concerns Keda and his dog, lost and forlorn amongst a white-scorned landscape, this is a film that rides almost solely on Smit-McPhee’s shoulders (though Chuck should get some of the credit as well).
Scenes early on between Keda and his father often do feel a little too on-the-nose, however, with almost every line feeling very anecdotal in nature. Yet one has to remember that this is a time when survival was the only true driving force to life. Humans, at this point, were far from the top of the food chain, with threats looming around every corner, and Alpha shows this without hesitation.
Though occasionally nail-gripping, the film is also generally accessible to a wider audience. Rated PG-13, it’s not quite for children, and it definitely gets past that point early on, especially with its use of subtitles. The story of survival never feels like a sure thing either, seeing the serious life-threatening struggles that Keda endures. Thankfully, though, when we do see violence or blood, Hughes never lets it get too out-of-hand, and the film should be an enjoyable ride for both teenagers and adults alike.
Alpha: Conclusion
To conclude, Alpha is one of the surprising standouts of the summer blockbuster season. It’s the type of film that easily could have been hastily thrown together, knowing that people will come out to see a movie about a human-dog bond no matter what. Yet, with its dedicated cast, some truly awe-inspiring cinematography, and a gripping story of survival at its center, Alpha is a far better film than one would expect to find. And one which will make you appreciate your own four-legged friends all the more.
What are your thoughts on Alpha? Were you enraptured by the story, or did it feel too tame for your liking? Let us know in the comments below!
Alpha was released in the US on August 17 and will be released in the UK on August 24. For all international release dates, click here.
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