Alpha

First Hit: The premise was good but sitting there waiting and waiting and waiting for the film to move along almost made me leave early.

It is known that wolves are the ancestors of our modern-day dog, man’s best friend. Having a dog, albeit a small one, has shown me how wonderful dogs are as companions and especially how loyal they are.

The problem with this film is that it was unrealistic in too many ways to make me believe this version of the story about how wolves and man created a synergy that would last thousands and thousands of years.

What wasn’t believable? That the village of people lived so very far away from the once a year food they’d collect. When they went hunting for buffalo they men traveled for months. We didn’t see much about how they survived, ate and drank water, through these harsh geographic elements. Their teeth were perfect, meaning the make-up didn’t even try to hide this fact. That they killed the buffalo by herding them off a cliff, just didn’t seem realistic. But most of the fantasy was Keda’s (Kodi Smit-McPhee) journey back to his village after his father Tau (Johannes Haukur Johannesson) and his team of hunters, left Keda to die on the edge of a cliff. Not only did I find it hard to believe he survived the fall, I also didn’t believe he could have survived the months long trek back to his village by following tattoos on his arm supposedly mapping stars in the sky. They didn’t provide much guidance and because of the long travel time, those stars would have shifted in the night sky.

Keda was identified by his mother Rho (Natassia Malthe) and possibly the Shaman (Leonor Varela) to be more big hearted and less ruthless than the others in the tribe. Although Keda adequately created a flint spear head, which gave him the honor of joining the hunting expedition, he wasn’t seen as having the killer instinct. This proves out during the trek to the buffalo hunting site as he refuses to kill a boar for food.

First you have to buy that he's big hearted (the most believable aspect of the film), then you must believe he survived the fall off a tremendous cliff with only a hurt ankle. The crown was that the story wants you to believe that he made the journey back to his village looking at the tattoo on his hand every 5 days or so. Just not likely.

However, believing this was the set up was to give credence to his first injuring the wolf, the alpha of the pack, then, because of his kind heart, nurses the wolf back to health. The wolf in-turn helps him hunt and kill food and keeps him warm at night.

At one point the wolf leaves Keda because Alpha's old pack coax the wolf back. But then there is a scene where Keda meets up with the wolf pack and the wolf chooses to save Keda against the elements.

The whole trek back to Keda’s village could have been cut by 50% to help the film. It just didn’t need all the snow driven angst. However, the ending shows how man and wolf/dogs became companions in a larger sense which was nice.

Smit-McPhee was adequate as Keda. His looks and actions, though, didn’t seem like they were correct to reflect being 20,000 years in the past. Johannesson was OK as the tribe leader, but he didn’t look like he came from 20,000 years ago. Malthe was OK as Keda’s mother. Whatever animal played Alpha was wonderful. Daniele Sebastian Wiedenhaupt wrote an OK screenplay (dialog wise). Although I don’t think language had developed that well 20,000 years ago. However, I could be wrong. Albert Hughes had a wonderful vision about how wolves became the forefathers of our modern dog, but this wasn’t borne out in the final product. The best part of the film were some of the geographic shots of the land.

Overall: There were multiple times I wanted to get up and leave because of boredom.

The Book of Eli

First Hit: This film was well made, well executed and very well acted.

The world has almost come to an end. Thirty years earlier, a flash of light was all anyone saw before it killed most of the people in the US (we assume the rest of the world as well). There are a few people who lived through the flash and they are now the elders.

Because it destroyed most everyone and everything, there are no schools, water is the most valuable commodity, and people are surviving anyway they can. Theft and brute force go along way towards obtaining what people want. There are few towns and one is controlled by Carnegie (played by Gary Oldman).

Oldman sends his henchmen out to find and collect all books. In particular he is looking for a specific book. This book, he believes, will give him the words to rule others, just like before the flash. The problem is that all copies of this book were either buried or burned.

Eli (played by Denzel Washington) possesses this book and is on a mission to deliver it out west. Voices told him he would know where to go and that he would be protected on his journey. Eli travels alone and wins all battles against the thieves and killers who want his water, food or book.

Eli happens into the town ruled by Carnegie who learns that Eli has the book he wants. Carnegie offers Eli everything to turn over the book and Eli responds that he knows when and whom to turn the book over to and Carnegie isn’t it.

The remaining part of the film is about Eli’s struggle to deliver the book to the intended audience.

Washington is perfect in this part. He is wise and smart enough to stay out of trouble while being agile and physically strong enough to handle the thugs who don't heed his warning. Washington’s intelligence and ability to keep the tone of the film from falling into scenes of good guy versus bad guy fights is faultless. Oldman as Carnegie is a stroke of brilliant casting. He commands presence during his scenes and keeps his role believable. As leader of the town, he is cognizant that leadership is always on a razors edge and he knows it, that’s why he wants the book. Albert and Allen Hughes directed this film with a wonderful touch. The scenes are not overly produced and complicated; they are direct without a lot of waste. The landscape represents just enough destruction and emptiness to provide the right backdrop to the world as it might be after we attempt to blow ourselves up.

Overall: This is an effectively done story and is definitely worth a watch.