Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Alpha and Omega


Alpha and Omega; CGI animated adventure comedy, USA, 2010; D: Ben Gluck, Anthony Bell, S: Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Christina Ricci, Danny Glover, Vicki Lewis, Dennis Hopper

Humphrey is a wolf who is secretly in love with Kate, but he is an Alpha wolf while she is an Omega wolf, and that difference in hierarchy is a problem for a relationship in their society. Kate's parents, Winston and Eve, arrange a marriage for her with Tony's son Garth, also an Alpha. However, one night local rangers tranquillize Kate and Humphrey and deport them to a different national park, hoping they will repopulate it. Using the help of a French goose and a duck, Kate and Humphrey board a train and return home. There, Kate decides to be with Humphrey, while Garth falls for Lilly.

CGI animated adventure comedy "Alpha and Omega" is a harmless fun, a moderately amusing and easily watchable film that doesn't offer much (that hasn't already been seen before), yet at least it should be congratulated for reducing the cheap cliches - like "hero saved in the nick of time" or "problem after problem after problem" - to the minimum. It's a mild comedy with jokes that are not that engaging or imaginative - actually, the only magical moment shows up in the opening, where Kate and Humphrey accidentally "stumble" upon each other in the air and hug each other, wherein the CGI animation marvelously shows their smile and how there is a natural sympathy between them. Likewise, the only excellent character is the shy-insecure wolf Lilly, voiced brilliantly by Christina Ricci, though Kate and Humphrey are also characterized good. A too simple, thin film, "Alpha and Omega" is nonetheless a correct viewing experience, being Dennis Hopper's last film.

Grade:+

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