Bearing a strong resemblance to “Quest for Fire,” “The Revenant,” “Jeremiah Johnson,” “The Grey,” the first chunk of “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and maybe even a little bit of “The Lion King,” “Alpha” deftly mixes the survival, coming-of-age, and shaggy dog genres to brilliant, mesmerizing effect.
Set 20,000 years ago during the Upper Paleolithic period in what is likely now Europe, “Alpha” is an intense, unflinching film that refuses to dull or soften its edges for the sake of commercial viability. By almost anyone’s definition, it’s an art film but also one completely lacking in pretense or any trace of egghead intellectualism that often turns off mainstream audiences. Far too many movies are crafted (or churned out, if you will) with a specific target demographic in mind with the hope of some spillover. “Alpha” doesn’t have a clear demographic; it can literally be appreciated by anyone.
