Alpha And Omega - Movie review

Alpha And Omega
U; Animation
DIR: Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck
CAST: Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Danny Glover, Dennis Hopperhh
Raitng: ''



WHAT'S IT ABOUT: Let's face it; we pay to watch films like this. The masala that's so interwoven into the yarn, might be seeped in Canadian/North American flavour, but there's no escaping that feeling of being stuck in a story that's initrinsically Bollywoodian in nature.

At the heart of it, put in two lovers separated by societal status and you have a spin that's older than the Bard's tragedy.

In this flick, Kate (Panettiere) is an aspiring Alpha of the resident wolf pack at the Jasper National Park in Canada. She's responsible, dedicated and loyal to a fault. Her father is the pack's leader and she's his heir apparent. The only cog in the wheel is a BFF who can't take anything seriously. The name of the Omega (wolfspeak for commoner/worker) is Humphrey and he's the complete opposite of Kate.

And yet, time spent apart only serves to draw them closer. But she can't show it, while he's aching to. A human hunting party (or so it seems) tranquilises them and ship them out to Idaho. The intention, apparently, is to get them to repopulate the area.

The catch? Kate has been promised in marriage to the son of the leader of a rival pack and her sudden exit from the scene could lead to all-out war.
The rest of the film has them trying to get back home, with a little help from feathered friends.

WHAT'S HOT & WHAT'S NOT: The film has a few moments that captivate with their sheer simplicity, and some others that take you aback by their utter cheesiness. As far as Indian animation efforts go, this one profited from the right distribution channels and splendid voice casting. However, it still has a long way to go to be any sort of a threat to the biggies of the genre. The film fails on several counts. While it remains authentic by only including howling numbers in the soundtrack, you feel shortchanged by a score that's solely serves its purpose when there'sa full moon. What you've gotta love is the bobsledding bunch led by Humphrey. Curiously, they never do it when its snowing...

WHAT TO DO: More often than not, you feel like there's something missing. The film incorporates several elements from past flicks in the genre, and brings very little novelty to the table. Watch it only if you are a kid who couldn't care less what film they're watching