Alpha

A journey of survival 20,000 years in the making.

From director Albert Hughes comes an epic adventure depicting the origins of man's unique bond with its oldest and most loyal companion. In "Alpha," available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD, Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee, "X-Men: Apocalypse") is preparing to trek across the wilderness with his father and his tribe in preparation for the coming winter. The world is still wild, and Tau (J�hannes Hakur J�hannesson) the chief of a Cro-Magnon tribe, is proudly passing on the traditions to his son.

Keda is different from his tribe. He leads with his heart and not with his spear, but Tau has faith that Keda is ready to join the warriors on their perilous hunt. While cornering the mighty bison across the pre-historic tundra, Keda, unfortunately, is tossed over a cliff and appears lost. Tau has no choice but to release himself and mourn the loss, and bear the burden, returning to his village with the sad news that will certainly break his wife's heart. Keda survives, though, hanging for dear life on the edge of the mountain.

Before long Keda finds himself alone and struggling to remain alive while battling the elements and figuring out how to get back to his tribe, which is long gone. Soon Keda attracts the attention of a pack of wolves and runs up a tree to evade death. One of the wolves attacks and Keda has no choice but to defend himself. Days pass and eventually the pack gives up, leaving behind the wounded wolf. Not able to put the creature out of its misery, Keda decides that he must nurse the wolf (and himself) back to health.

His act of kindness does not go unnoticed, and eventually, man and wolf form a bond. Their journey begins. Keda names his new companion "Alpha," and their bond will become generational. When the winter comes, the pair works together to survive – learning to rely on one another, hunting as a pack, and keeping each another warm. Keda eventually releases Alpha to the wild, when they come across another pack of wolves, but fate brings them back together and the pair continues their journey back to the tribe.

Hughes expertly re-creates the prehistoric landscape and gives our heroes more heart and spirit than possibly imaginable, making their story resonate with emotion. The film is beautifully shot, and even the CG environments are irresistible. The Blu-ray features additional inside-the-story secrets with interviews from the cast and crew, especially on how the filmmakers were able to get such a convincing performance out of their four-legged co-star. Totally engaging and entertaining, "Alpha" is a treat whether in its original theatrical release of the included Director's Cut.

"Alpha"
available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD
$14.99
www.sonypictures.com