For all its CGI-enhanced, visually-stunning prehistoric vistas, 'Alpha (2018)' feels incredibly cheap. This is perhaps most pertinently because of its tone-deaf, downright cheesy opening and closing narration from none other than Morgan Freeman, the inclusion of which makes you feel as though you've wondered into some kind of weird 'March Of The Penguins (2006)' as opposed to the distinctly fictional adventure actually presented (complete with a made-up language, some incredibly unrealistic sequences - especially as they relate to our protagonist's survival against the elements - and the supposed 'origins' of pet dogs). Indeed, it's the origin of dog domestication that gets the most attention here, despite the fact that it doesn't really fit with the survivalist plot otherwise presented; its introduction also starts a decline in the quality of the piece (whether or not it's directly correlated). Most of the feature goes through a kind of 'prequel' check-list to establish things such as the dog bowl, chew toys, playing fetch, hunting with your canine and generally making sure that dogs know their place as compared to humans (something I'm not sure should be quite as celebrated as it perhaps is, given that the wolves in the film are running free until one is wounded and then domesticated by our lead). All of this doesn't really capitalise on the setting's inherent interest or prevent the genuine, if perhaps somewhat intangible, boredom you feel while watching. To be fair, you do believe the movie is set thousands of years ago. It really does look the part, aside from frequent and odd speed-ramped sequences showing CGI skies. There are a few otherwise decently enjoyable sequences, too. Much of the picture is properly dull to a pretty high degree, though, and this is perhaps the biggest issue a film can have. Plus, the flick couldn't bear a 'no animals were harmed' tag, reportedly because a few bison were slaughtered for a skinning scene that didn't even end up in the finished product. Perhaps they at least contributed to the fur coat our hero wears. Needless to say, this sort of thing can't be condoned. 4/10