Alpha

"Leaders are born from survival"

2018 1h 37m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 2,836

AdventureDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the prehistoric past, Keda, a young and inexperienced hunter, struggles to return home after being separated from his tribe when bison hunting goes awry. On his way back he will find an unexpected ally.

“Leaders are born from survival”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Kodi Smit-McPhee
Keda
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson
Tau
Marcin Kowalczyk
Sigma
Jens Hultén
Xi
Natassia Malthe
Rho
Spencer Bogaert
Kappa
Mercedes de la Zerda
Nu
Leonor Varela
Shaman Woman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Albert Hughes
Writers: Albert Hughes, Dan Wiedenhaupt, Benton Jew
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, United States of America, China

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $51M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Canada, United States of America, China.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

206+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Albert Hughes, shot by Martin Gschlacht. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sandra Torres Granovsky shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson and Marcin Kowalczyk carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Leaders are born from survival".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Albert Hughes directs. Martin Gschlacht behind the camera. Sandra Torres Granovsky cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Canada, United States of America, China. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $51M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Released 8 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: Canada, United States of America, China.
4206+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Albert Hughes, shot by Martin Gschlacht. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Sandra Torres Granovsky shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson and Marcin Kowalczyk carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Leaders are born from survival".
9IMDB entry: tt4244998 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 17 themes, including "wolf", "ice age", "human animal relationship", "wilderness".

The technical file

Cinematography: Martin Gschlacht
Editing: Sandra Torres Granovsky
Production design: John Willett
Costume design: Sharen Davis
Makeup / hair: Kathrine Gordon
VFX supervisor: Goran Backman
Sound: Frank A. Montaño
Stunt coordinator: Robert Alonzo
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $51,000,000
Box office: $99,630,675
Return: 195% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Alpha (2018)

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Albert Hughes

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What people are saying

Feofan2018-10-29
Good shots, awful plot
GenerationofSwine2023-01-14
★ 10/10
It deserved a better showing at the box office, and I really want to give credit to Hughes on putting all of this together with an eye for some of the early traditions of early man. He clearly did enough homework to keep it true to the period while still making the film entertaining. I do however think the subtitles didn't help the box office showing at all, but added to the realism of the film over all. Kodi Smit-McPhee though, he was able to carry the film while looking strikingly like Juliette Lewis, and, in some cases, moving like her. It was a bit of a distraction, especially when the men and women really needed to look more rawhide...a lot more rawhide. Despite that, it was a compelling film, despite some of the CGI issues. It drew you in and actually felt like a trip in the Wayback Machine much more than 10,000 BC could have even dreamed of doing. And, it was really that transportation back to early man that sells the film, and Hughes pulled it off far better than anyone could have hoped for the man that gave us "Dead Presidents" he clearly has a lot of talent in him to be able to transport the viewer back like that.

Production companies