Alpha

Even though the adventure film Alpha is an overly digitized fairy tale about the origins of the friendship between man and wolf (or dog), I quite liked the story. Except I could have done without the initial time loops. However, I'm sure the child audiences must be absolutely thrilled with this film. (75%) (07/11/2021)

Sometimes a more grown-up Disney movie, sometimes an uncompromising fight for survival, but throughout the entire running time, it's an avalanche of emotional decisions and breathtaking visual scenes. Almost every other shot of this (almost) inaccessible version of Brother Bear deserves its place like a picture on the wall. And I don't care deeply that it's not a groundbreaking story and that the dialogue sometimes comes across as pathetic phrases. Alpha tells a tale of such archetypal and almost life-giving stuff that the resulting avalanche of emotions loudly drowns out any criticism. (09/20/2018)

If Alpha had been set in an actual harsh environment à la The Revenant, its trivial and unoriginal survival storyline might have worked. What we have instead is quite the opposite – an artificial, oversaturated, kitschy coloring book in which even the setting sun is not real. It could withstand criticisms such as “an adventure fairy tale shot in front of a green screen” – it’s not as stupid as Emmerich’s 10,000 BC and the actors are eagerly emotional, but the fake stuff around them was too much for me. Not to mention the overly aggressive camera close-ups and time-lapses that look like something from a bombastic commercial or video game. A movie that is supposed to make me feel the protagonist’s loss and helplessness in a harsh, hostile environment must be done differently. (09/20/2018)

It could have been a bigger hit, it feels slightly like a smaller production, but I was surprisingly immersed in the plot and nicely drawn in. It's actually a period survival film and the emergence of the domestic dog at the same time. The harsh B.C. era is nicely depicted and nature is used to its fullest including animals (wolves, tigers, hyenas, bisons, vultures). The main character is likeable, I also liked the music, and the hunting scenes have a lot of pizzazz, so enough for an above-average rating. 70% (08/30/2018)

Who would have guessed that the creators can make a prehistoric story into one of the nicest films about the friendship of a man and a dog. A nice surprise, where the bar is unnecessarily lowered by its beginning, but once a young boy and a wolf enter the stage, then every scene features a beautiful shot and brings you a dose of emotions. (05/13/2019)