See how dogs became man’s best friend in prehistoric movie ‘Alpha’

Posted on August 24, 2018

By MARK VIOLA

I’m more of a cat person, but there’s no denying that dogs are man’s best friend. If we’re to believe the fictional story of the new film, “Alpha,” the story of man and dog began 20,000 years ago in what is now Europe when a boy lost from his tribe strikes up an unlikely friendship with a wolf who is also separated from his pack.

I said last week I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from this movie after an unfocused marketing campaign. Based on the film’s lackluster box office returns, I wasn’t the only one left confused, but the movie itself is actually quite engossing, with a strong lead performance and a compelling story about survival in a world that we know is Earth but still looks utterly foreign.

The story follows Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee, “X-Men: Apocalypse”), who is the son of his tribe’s chief, Tau (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, “Game of Thrones”). He is about to set out on his first hunt, a trip that will be filled with dangers including the weather and animal predators. When things go terribly wrong, Keda is thought dead and left behind. Alone, he must find his way home through a hostile world, but a chance meeting with a wolf will not only change his future, but the entirety of human history.

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