Alpha
In the prehistoric past, Keda, a young and inexperienced hunter, struggles to return home after being separated from his tribe when bison hunting goes awry. On his way back he will find an unexpected ally.
Working with a moderate budget of $51.0M, the film achieved a modest success with $99.6M in global revenue (+95% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Alpha (2018) exemplifies precise story structure, characteristic of Albert Hughes's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 37 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.4, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Keda
Tau
Rho
Alpha
Main Cast & Characters
Keda
Played by Kodi Smit-McPhee
A young hunter who becomes separated from his tribe and must survive the wilderness with an injured wolf.
Tau
Played by Johannes Haukur Johannesson
Keda's father and the tribe's chief, a strong leader who teaches his son the ways of survival.
Rho
Played by Natassia Malthe
Keda's mother, who provides emotional support and worries about her son during the hunt.
Alpha
The injured wolf who bonds with Keda and becomes humanity's first domesticated companion.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Keda lies injured at the bottom of a cliff (flash-forward). Cut to: the tribal village before the hunt, showing Keda as a gentle young man not yet ready to prove himself as a hunter like his father Tau.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when The hunting party departs on the dangerous journey to find the herd. Keda must prove himself, leaving the safety of home for the first time on a perilous quest.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 25 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to During the bison hunt, Keda is charged by a buffalo, gored, and falls off a cliff. His father and tribe perform death rituals and leave him for dead. Keda must now survive alone—his choice to live begins here., moving from reaction to action.
At 49 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Keda and Alpha successfully hunt together as a bonded pair. False victory: Keda believes he can make it home with his new companion. But winter is coming and the journey grows more dangerous., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 72 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Keda falls through ice into freezing water and nearly drowns. He reaches hypothermic despair, collapsing in the snow. Whiff of death: he appears to be dying, giving up. Alpha howls in desperation., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 78 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Keda awakens to find Alpha has kept him alive through the night. He realizes that the bond they share—compassion and loyalty—is true strength. He finds renewed determination to survive and protect Alpha in return., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Alpha's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Alpha against these established plot points, we can identify how Albert Hughes utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Alpha within the adventure genre.
Albert Hughes's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Albert Hughes films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Alpha represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Albert Hughes filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional adventure films include Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Bad Guys and Zoom. For more Albert Hughes analyses, see Dead Presidents, From Hell and Menace II Society.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Keda lies injured at the bottom of a cliff (flash-forward). Cut to: the tribal village before the hunt, showing Keda as a gentle young man not yet ready to prove himself as a hunter like his father Tau.
Theme
Tau tells Keda: "Life is for the strong. It is earned, not given." This encapsulates the thematic journey from strength-through-dominance to strength-through-compassion.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of the prehistoric tribal world, the coming-of-age ritual, Keda's relationship with his parents, and the preparation for the great bison hunt. Shows Keda's compassion and his father's concern that he may be too weak.
Disruption
The hunting party departs on the dangerous journey to find the herd. Keda must prove himself, leaving the safety of home for the first time on a perilous quest.
Resistance
Tau mentors Keda during the journey, teaching him survival skills and the ways of the hunter. Keda struggles with killing and shows mercy. The tribe travels through harsh terrain toward the stampede grounds.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
During the bison hunt, Keda is charged by a buffalo, gored, and falls off a cliff. His father and tribe perform death rituals and leave him for dead. Keda must now survive alone—his choice to live begins here.
Mirror World
Keda encounters the wolf (later named Alpha) and its pack. Initially enemies, this relationship will become the heart of the story and teach Keda that survival requires connection, not just strength.
Premise
Keda survives the fall, begins his solo journey home, wounds the wolf in self-defense, then chooses compassion by healing it. The "fun and games" of learning to trust each other, hunting together, and bonding across species. Man and wolf become a team.
Midpoint
Keda and Alpha successfully hunt together as a bonded pair. False victory: Keda believes he can make it home with his new companion. But winter is coming and the journey grows more dangerous.
Opposition
Winter descends. Keda faces increasingly deadly obstacles: a rival wolf pack, a frozen river crossing, starvation, and brutal cold. His injury worsens. Nature becomes the tightening antagonist.
Collapse
Keda falls through ice into freezing water and nearly drowns. He reaches hypothermic despair, collapsing in the snow. Whiff of death: he appears to be dying, giving up. Alpha howls in desperation.
Crisis
Keda hallucinates and processes his dark night of the soul. Alpha refuses to leave him, providing warmth. Keda must find the will to continue despite believing he might die before reaching home.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Keda awakens to find Alpha has kept him alive through the night. He realizes that the bond they share—compassion and loyalty—is true strength. He finds renewed determination to survive and protect Alpha in return.
Synthesis
Keda and Alpha make the final push home. Keda uses all he has learned. They face a final confrontation with a cave lion. Keda reaches his village and reunites with his family. Alpha gives birth to puppies, revealing the origin of the human-dog bond.
Transformation
Final image mirrors the opening: Keda with his family, but transformed. No longer the weak boy, he is now a man who understands that true strength includes compassion. Alpha and her pups rest beside him—family.