Recommendation – Little or No spoilers (So Fear Not)
From the trailer alone, it’s obvious this is a simple story being told: A lone young hunter from thousands of years in the past is separated from his group and ends up trying to survive on his own to make it back home, encountering a wolf on his way and ultimately forging a bond with the wolf. The beginning of humans and canines working together, told with very little dialogue and a lot of nature shots.
Keda, the main human character, is not really a hunter yet: this is his first time out with the other hunters and things go wrong quickly for him. This is how he ends up hurting the wolf, who he later names Alpha, and then feels sorry for the wolf and decides to help rather than kill it. From the early display of Keda’s injury to the final moments of the film, everything in nature is gorgeous. This film must be seen in 3D. The 3D was some of, if not the most, fantastic and beautiful 3D film I’ve ever seen – and I have seen quite a lot and have done a lot of my own work in 3D. Beautiful sprawling mountains that come out just right from the screen, amazing underwater shots of fish that are swimming at your shoulders, and buffalo that could jump into your lap at any moment. This wasn’t just showing off what 3D can do, though, it was magical because this story was really about the beauty and power of nature. When fires crackle, the sparkles from the fire dance all around you in your seat. Sweeping shots through valleys and looking up at night skies make you feel like you are flying for real. Even moments when Keda and Alpha are learning to work together to hunt creatures for food, the animals they are hunting dash closer and farther around the screen and practically rush past your nose, Alpha on their heels.
I absolutely recommend going to see this movie – in 3D only! – and as soon as possible. I went on Tuesday at AMC for $5 (for $5 Tuesdays, one of my favorite things) plus an additional $5 upcharge for the 3D IMAX experience. Worth. It. I don’t think the IMAX screen mattered as much as the 3D, so if you don’t have that option, still make sure you see it in 3D on whatever screen they have. It’s not a terrible thing if it’s in IMAX, though, of course. My only “complaint” is that it was incredibly loud, which is probably the fault of the projectionist, as even the trailers ahead of time were tremendously loud – not just when things exploded in a trailer, but the calmest words spoken. So I don’t really count that against this movie. And as such, I give it a 10/10 must see. Absolutely MUST SEE in 3D!!!
First Official Trailer for Alpha: