'Alpha' a spectacular, but poorly written prehistoric adventure

<h3 class="briefHead">"Alpha" - ★ ★ ½</h3>

Sheer spectacle dominates Albert Hughes' ambitious and flawed "Alpha," a prehistoric adventure about the pivotal moment when a man first domesticates a wolf, paving the way for lupines to earn their canine status and work toward the coveted title "Man's Best Friend."

Sweeping vistas! Bold close-ups! Thrilling aerial shots! This gorgeously photographed quest never gives the eyes a rest. (Chicago critics saw "Alpha" in 3-D Tuesday at Chicago's Navy Pier IMAX Theater, a magnificent presentation, except that light pollution on each end of the screen spoiled darker scenes.)

Spectacular? Yes!

But underdeveloped details ding this movie in small but significant ways.

Let's skip over the apparently excellent dental care that gave ancient tribesman TV-commercial-grade smiles.

The best pearly whites belong to young Keda (Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee). His slight build, cherubic face and aversion to killing don't exactly spell leadership qualities, despite being the son of brave tribal chief Tau (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson).

"He leads with his heart," says Keda's mom (Leonor Varela), "not his spear."

"Life is for the strong!" says Tau, whose frequent fortune cookie observations suggest genetic links to Mr. Miyagi.

Tau's plans for succession become disrupted when, during a dangerous hunt for bison-like CGI beasts, Keda falls over a huge cliff and is presumed dead.

Heartbroken, Tau returns home with his tribesmen, who could easily be mistaken for extras in a "Mad Max" movie. (Did ancient tribesmen's outfits have stitched sleeves?)

They do not know that Keda lives, severely wounded. With nothing but constellation-related tattoos on his hand to guide him, Keda must hobble across hostile terrain, battling predators, hunger, thirst, heat and storms, and return home before winter descends.

"Alpha" tells two stories about alpha males: Tau trying to get his son to take over the family business, and Keda, trying to befriend a wolf he wounded when it tried to turn him into a munchie.

This all-important taming of the wolf feels slightly rushed and not totally convincing.

"I'm not going to hurt you!" Keda tells the wild animal.

The wolf shoots him an incredulous look that says, "Dude, you just rammed a stone shiv into my hind quarters. Now you expect me to instantly trust you?"

He does. And frankly, so do we, because plot developments must move at a brisk pace in a relatively short 97-minute movie.

"Alpha" reaches its pinnacle of awkward dialogue when Keda burbles to the wolf, "I can't lose you!" Would a prehistoric lad utter one of the most overused movie verbal cliches?

You'd think that the sight of a man walking with a wolf might provoke reactions of fear or astonishment in people. They don't react. At all.

They respond as if this historic development in the relationship between humans and future dogs wasn't important.

Therefore, they suggest it shouldn't be that important for us, stifling what should be a magical moment in this movie.

<b>Starring:</b> Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Leonor Varela

<b>Directed by:</b> Albert Hughes

<b>Other:</b> A Columbia Pictures release. Rated PG-13 for violence. 97 minutes