Alpha was a film that was billed as a dramatic and heartfelt adventure between man and dog across a vast and glorious landscape. A rather basic premise but if well executed could deliver powerful emotional beats as well as riveting action sequences.

Alpha very much delivered on its cinematography and there was some decent CG as well however when it comes to the storytelling often falls flat. Even though the main character goes through rather precarious situations the film has a hard time making audiences believe in the danger that the main character is actually in, perhaps this is due to his early escapes or just a lack of emotional stakes and resonance to the character. It is often difficult to establish a empathetic character who speaks a completely foreign and almost alien language and this doesn't help at all in the creation of a character we as audiences empathize with. It is perhaps this reason and a not so strong performance that leaves a rather forgettable impression and lackluster story.

The film also relies very heavily on 'coincidence' characters just randomly running into each other in the vastness of North American ice age and events that happen out of the blue. These all create a sense of having a 'cheap escape' and builds on the issue of having low stakes.

Of course the relationship between the main character and the wolf/dog is a vital part of this film's success and even this was somewhat oversimplified and ignorant of the actual process of evolution and adaptation. Overall making the film seem much more fantasy fiction than gritty reality.