Alpha (2018)

[WingedSerpent]

This turned out to be a really enjoyable movie.

From IMDB:
In the prehistoric past, a young man struggles to return home after being separated from his tribe during a buffalo hunt and finds a similarly lost wolf companion to start a friendship that would change humanity.


The movie is a fictionalized story of how ancient man first started to domesticate wolves and turned them into the first dogs.

While I wouldn't say its a must see, it does benefit from seeing it in theater.  There are many sweeping shots of a small figure in a large expansive settings that  work best on the big screen.  It is a visually interesting movie as well.  Making use of silhouette and some slow-motion. (There early scene of a bison hunt has somewhat of a Zach Snyder 300  feel-but its only really that part of the movie that feels blockbuster-ish.  Most of the film is a survival against the elements and has a more intimate feel. 

There is some shotty CGI, used mostly for animals that aren't around any more: mammoths, saber toothed cats, etc.  Some is used for certain scenes with the wolf, but a lot of times it was a real animal. 

If you want something, non-franchise or superhero-this isn't a bad movie to see.


 

[BoyScoutKevin]

Yeah, I wanted to see it last Sunday, but I just collapsed from exhaustion on Sunday, so I couldn't get out of bed. It looks like it's still playing in my local area, so I plan to see it this weekend. I'll have more to say about it, when I do.

[BoyScoutKevin]

I still haven't seen it. I meant to see it o'er the weekend, but this hot weather, even with air conditioning, has left me sick most of the time. Which throws me off my schedule. And trying to get back on schedule leaves me no time to see anything. Hopefully, though, we'll see it tomorrow, as I don't have anything else planned for tomorrow.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Finally got to see it, and I'm glad I did, as it has been awhile since a film has had that much emotional impact on me. It also turned out to be one of my favorite type of films. The type where, after you see it, you question all that you know and do not know.

What we/I know.
1st. What the wooly mammoth looks like, as almost perfect specimens have been found in Siberia.
2nd. How to hunt the bison, as Native Americans used the same method up to the 17th century and the introduction of the horse. Go up to Buffalo Leap, Canada, where I have been, and they'll ell you all about it.
3rd. How to knap a flint.
4th. The type of animal in the film. It's an actual breed called the wolf dog and is, of course, a combination of the wolf and dog. And while the ones in the film look mostly like wolves, they mostly look like dogs.
5th. How to make a fire using a bow and drill.
6th. How he survived the fall. It may seem odd, but he survived the fall by hitting the cliff face several times. If he had fallen straight down, the velocity would have killed him, but by hitting the cliff face, it slowed him down enough, that he survived.
7th. How to use maggots in medicine. Still one of the best and quickest ways to remove dead flesh from a wound.
8th. That the animal, while it was suppose to be a female, was actually a male. Which is neither new nor unusual. Lassie in most of the films and TV shows, while supposedly a female collie was actually played by a male collie.

What we/I do not know.
1st. Where it supposedly takes place. The hyenas in the film throws me off.
2nd. Why the nude scene in the film did not cause more controversy. Okay. Semi-nude scene. Which may be why, and then the actor, if not the character, which we'll get to later, was of age. If he had been underage, as in some cases, there might have been more controversy.
3rd. What language they spoke. Totally original or based upon another language?
4th. The age of the hero in the film. He started with no fluff on his upper lip and ended with fluff on his upper lip.
5th. The nationality of the actors in the film. If I looked it up, I am sure I could find out, which is why I know our hero was an Aussie. It is just that some of the actors looked like Eskimos or Inuits as some preferred to be called.
6th. Where the rocks came from. If one noticed, all the rock cairns were in areas where one saw no rocks.
7th. Did they shave? We know the Greeks shaved, if only to difference themselves from the Barbarians, who did not shave, but did the people of that time shave?

Not a perfect film, as I had a number of quibbles with it, 2 of which stand out, but . . .

Quibbles
1st. With his face and hands so unprotected from the elements, why did he not show more signs of frost bite?
2nd, Why camp there in the winter. Spring, summer, fall I can see, but you'd think the people would choose a more sheltered area, and not one so open to the elements for winter.

Still, one of those films, the more I think about it, the better it comes.

Next time: Kin. Meant to see it Labor Day Weekend, but couldn't; therefore, hopefully get to see it his coming weekend.

[WingedSerpent]

If I remember correctly, the film did say it took place in Europe.  And there was a species of Hyena that lived in Europe during the Ice Age.  They went extinct thousands of years ago due to changing climate and probably over hunting from early humans.

Also, I didn't realize this until I saw the credits, but the actress who plays the mother is Natasha Malthe.  Rayne from the Bloodrayne sequels is in this movie.  She's part Norwegian and part Malaysian according to her Wikipedia page.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Thank-you for the reply. I'm not surprised that it supposedly takes place in Europe, and that is interesting about the hyena once roaming Europe, as they are believe to be not the only mammal from that time driven to extinction in Europe by overhunting by early man. Thank-you again for your reply. One always learns something new by browsing this board.