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Posts Tagged ‘Alpha’

ChatGPT Version: “Boy Meets Dog”

Posted in General Comments, Movie Review, Movies, Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[Disclaimer:  The following is the result of my feeding MY review into ChatGPT and asking it to use it as a sample to generate a review for the film “Alpha“, (the film I posted a review about earlier today).  Other than adding line breaks to match the format of my blog posts, I have made no alterations to its result…    —    kmab]
Boy Meets Dog
July 30, 2025 by kmabarrett
“Alpha” (2018) — movie review
Today’s review is for the survival-adventure / man-animal prehistoric epic: “Alpha” (2018), starring Kodi Smit-McPhee as Keda (a young tribal hunter) and “Chuck the Wolfdog” as Alpha (his four-legged companion).
Background:
If you’ve been following this blog for a month, you know we lost our dog — of the last 13 years — at the start of July… Truth be told, I had NO idea what this movie was about except what was on the reduced-size poster — a caveman and a “dog.” Buying this movie was the equivalent of going into an old-time record store and flipping through the albums until you see a cover that looks interesting. Never heard of the band and don’t know any of the songs. If you’re lucky, you get one or two good tracks. If you’re real lucky, you get one that feels like a “hit” (to you at least). There you have it… Sometimes, movies can be like that, too. Serendipity.
Basic Plot:
Set roughly 20,000 years ago during the Paleolithic era (think open plains, stone tools, living in hide tents), Alpha invents an “origin story” of humankind’s relationship with wolves — and, by extension, the domestic dog.
Keda, the son of a tribal leader, is trying (and failing) to prove himself. After falling from a cliff during a bison hunt, his tribe presumes him dead and leaves. But Keda survives — injured, alone, and a long way from home with winter closing in. During his trek, he wounds a wolf from a pursuing pack. Surprisingly, he chooses not to kill it. Instead, he tends to its wounds. Over time, a bond forms. The two — boy and beast — depend on one another to survive the elements, the predators, and the pain of solitude.
[Spoiler Alert:] In the end, we learn “Alpha” is a she — and pregnant. She gives birth to a litter of pups once they return to Keda’s tribe. The final scene? A symbolic passing: wolf becomes dog… and man’s best friend is born.
Any Good?
Yes — a quiet, visually rich, emotionally grounded story. Not a lot of talking (and what little there is, is subtitled), but Alpha gets its message across through glances, gestures, and grit. Simple? Yes. Predictable? Also yes. But sometimes, simplicity works.
Acting:
Kodi Smit-McPhee carries the film almost single-handedly — a tough ask when most of your scenes are solo. He’s not a macho caveman; more introspective, sensitive, and thoughtful. It works. The real star, though, is Chuck the Wolfdog. You believe the transformation from mutual suspicion to trust. The emotional beats are earned, not forced.
Filming / FX:
Stunning. Panoramic wide shots of frozen tundras, sun-drenched valleys, and prehistoric skies make this feel almost dreamlike. The special effects — used sparingly — are believable and grounded. This isn’t a CGI-fest; it feels real, textured, cold. The wolf doesn’t talk, doesn’t wink at the camera, and doesn’t act like a cartoon dog. That matters.
Problems:
Three, and they’re minor. First, the poster shows mammoths in the background — there are none in the film. Just bison. Second, I’m not a fan of subtitles in non-foreign films. I get it — it adds “authenticity” — but sometimes it pulls you out of the moment. Third, the story is very predictable. You could guess most of the beats just from the trailer. But the journey, not the plot, is what gives the film its emotional weight.
Final Recommendation:
Good to Strong — especially if you’re in the mood for something a little quieter, more visual, and grounded. Alpha is part survival film, part buddy adventure, and part fable. It’s a story of connection: man to beast, child to adult, loneliness to loyalty.
This isn’t a Disney version of “how dogs became pets.” It’s grimy, cold, and often brutal. But underneath the frostbite and bruises is something very warm.
You’ll root for them — not just to survive,
but to find something more than survival.
Not owner and pet.
But pack.
Family.
[Okay…  So, what do I think?  ChatGPT did not strictly follow my review format and it completely dropped my “short answers” section.  Also, ChatGPT significantly altered the “Problems” section and added a line about the viewing the trailer which was not in my original post and which I never viewed.  Other than that, though, (and I hate to admit it,) my sense is that it’s version is friendlier, more “human”, and – dare I say it – the “Final Recommendation” section ending is almost “poetic”…  To my mind, ChatGPT is clearly better than either Copilot or Genesis.  And please note, the initial response / result did NOT require multiple iterations to generate a result very close to an exact match of format, content and style of my “sample”.    —    kmab]
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Click here (30 July) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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Boy Meets Dog

Posted in General Comments, Movie Review, Movies, Reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“Alpha” (2018) — movie review
Today’s review is for the survival-adventure / man-animal prehistoric epic:  “Alpha”  (2018)  starring Kodi Smit-McPhee as Keda (a young tribal hunter) and “Chuck the Wolfdog” as Alpha (his four-legged companion).
Background:  If you’ve been following this blog for a month, you know we lost our dog – of the last 13 years – at the start of July…   Truth be told, I had NO idea what this movie was about except what was on the reduced size poster – a caveman and a “dog”.  Buying this movie was the equivalent of going into a old-time record store and flipping through the albums until you see a cover which looks interesting.   Never heard of the band and don’t know any of the songs.  If you’re lucky you get one or two good songs.  If you’re real lucky, you get one song which feels like a “hit” (to you at least).  There you have it…  Sometimes, movies can be like that, too.  Serendipity.
Basic Plot:  Set roughly 20,000 years ago during the Paleolithic (open plains, living in tents) era, “Alpha” invents an “origin story” of humankind’s relationship with wolves — and by extension, the domestic dog.  If you’ve ever wondered how man “might” have domesticated wolves into dogs, this film’s for you.  Visually, the film is epic landscapes, primal human and animal  instincts, and a quiet / unspoken determination to survive.  It’s a story of survival, trust, and discovering common (pack) strength through a bond between man and beast.
Keda, the son of a tribal leader, fails his male “right of passage” test.  Later, he is out hunting with the male members of his tribe some days distance from their village.  He is left for dead during a bison hunt when a bison tosses him off a high, sheer cliff.  Keda lands on a small ledge, but is knocked out and is beyond the reach of his tribe.  With a broken leg from the fall, only a flash flood below the cliff allows Keda to get off the cliff and try to get back to his tribe.  Alone, Keda must face the challenge of surviving in a harsh wilderness trek with winter fast approaching.  (This becomes his “new” right of passage test.)  During his journey, Keda is chased up a tree by a pack of wolves.  He injures one of the wolves which is then left behind by it’s own pack.  Keda decides to show mercy to the injured wolf and slowly, as he nurses the wolf back to health, they come to trust each other.  The film tracks their relationship as they depend on one another to get back to Keda’s tribe.  [Spoiler Alert:]  In the end, “Chuck” is a pregnant female who gives birth to a litter of puppies when they finally get back to Keda’s tribe.  The puppies grow up…  And wolf becomes dog – and man’s best friend.
So, is this film any good?  The acting?  The filming / FX?  Any problems?  Did I like it?  Short answers:  Yes;  good enough;  scenic beauty (reminiscent of “Lord of the Rings“) and pretty good FX;  minor;  yes — simple, predictable, but entertaining.
Any Good?  Yes — a lot of primitive atmosphere with minimal dialogue (a kid and a dog are the leads).  “Alpha” is a story told largely through facial expression, nods, glances, gestures, and (some) action.
Acting:  Kodi Smit-McPhee carries the film almost single-handedly (he’s solo for most of it).  As he is alone for most of the film, he uses emotive performance instead dramatic monologues.  The real star, though, is “Chuck” — expressive without excessive anthropomorphism, and believable in its gradual bonding process.  There’s emotional realism in their evolving trust – it just works.  Or, at least it did for me.
Filming / FX:  The scenic cinematography is panoramic:  sweeping plains, tundras, stark winter landscapes, and night skies that feel dreamlike.  The visual effects (especially around environmental hazards — ice breaks, predator threats) are believable and “fit” the film.  The film stays mostly grounded as a real person movie, but it does slip into live-action animation mode – particularly around the animals.  My after viewing reaction was that the film WAS animation, when mostly it wasn’t.
Problems:  Three…  Not big ones.  The poster shows mammoths in the distant background.  None appear in the movie – just bison.  Second, I’m not a fan of sub-titles, particularly when it’s not even a “foreign” film.  Fortunately, (LoL) the wolf never talks back to the Keda, so you always have enough time to read the text when he’s talking to it.  Finally, this film is VERY predictable, which is usually a bad thing…  Again, it (the film) all worked for me – so I didn’t mind.
Final Recommendation:  Good to Strong — if you appreciate storytelling, quasi-realistic survival, and mythic framing of individual heroism.  Although pure fiction, this is “not” a Disney-fied version of man meets dog.  It’s earthy –  primitive-grimy but natural-beautiful.  You’ll root for them (boy and dog) — not just to get home, but to become something more.  Not owner and pet…  but bonded survivors and (if you’ve ever owned a dog) family.
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Click here (30 July) to see the posts of prior years.  I started this blog in late 2009.  Daily posting began in late January 2011.  Not all of the days in the early years (2009-2010) will have posts.

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