MOVIE NEWS: Alpha and Omega

It’s that time of year again! The Toronto International Film Festival is going on, and everyone I know — including me — has caught film fever. I’m trying to see as much as I can at the festival and otherwise. In fact, I got the chance to see a 3-D preview screening of the new movie Alpha and Omega last weekend, and I’m here to share some thoughts.

The story basics: in Jasper National Park, not all wolves are created equal. Or, more to the point, they’re not all treated equally or given the same opportunities. Humphrey (pictured above) and his three best buddies are omega wolves. Their job is to have fun and play and keep the peace whenever possible. But Humphrey has a problem: he’s in love with Kate, a high-and-mighty alpha wolf whose job it is to hunt and lead the pack.

When both Humphrey and Kate are captured by hunters and dropped off in a park in Idaho, they need to get Kate back to Jasper before their pack falls prey to a rival wolf clan. But can the two wolves from different worlds work together to achieve their goal? You’ll have to catch the flick to find out!

In the meantime, here are a few observations I had about the movie:

1) It’s cute. There are some fun, light, and goofy moments here. Wolves in biker helmets, wolves playing air guitar, wolves riding tree bark downhill like sleds — it’s all part of the show! Not to mention a British duck and a French Canadian goose who play golf. Speaking of which…

2) It’s Can-tastic! If you’re Canadian, or even a fan of Canada, there’s a lot to like in here. If you’re not, a few of the jokes and place names might go right over your head. For me personally, I loved that the movie was set in Jasper, Alberta, a place I visited a lot as a kid.

3) It does not need to be seen in 3-D. It is official: when it comes to this topic, I am a broken record. However, the 3-D in Alpha and Omega (as in other recent releases) makes the screen darker and doesn’t add much to compensate. After a few minutes, I forgot the film was even in 3-D, which is not a good sign.

Overall, I thought the movie was pretty good, and would recommend it to animal lovers and adventure seekers alike — especially younger ones.

That said, if you have a choice between 2-D and 3-D, choose 2-D. Your movie experience will be better, brighter, and you can use the money you save on, say, some awesome Owlkids books. Or you can donate it to charity! It’s a win-win.

Talk to you next week!

Craig, owlblog@owlkids.com