Alpha (2018)

"Alpha, a spectacular prehistoric eye-candy survival yarn, is enthralling in a square and slightly stolid way."

"Evidently, facts aren't terribly important here (even the movie's title comes from a civilisation that's still millennia away), but if you can get past that, there's a moderately gripping tale of survival and natural kinship to be had."

"Mr. Hughes, who for many years cocreated films with his twin brother, Allen, and here makes his solo feature debut, is a sharp and engaged visual storyteller. It's a pleasure to see him working in expansive wide-screen, a fitting format for his chops."

"Comfort food, yes, but more edible than many another burnt offering."

"It is most certainly a tonic in an age when every blockbuster film feels like part of some endless multiverse-cum-marketing scheme."

"Enjoyably old-fashioned in its narrative but crisply modern in technique, it is engaging enough even for those of us with no soft spot for pets."

"It's a family movie but one unafraid to show some very sharp teeth."