I went in already determining the course of this film, spoilers and all: the interclass love story, the journey with its gradual falling in love sequences, and how it would ultimately end on an Aladdin-esque Aesop about how one shouldn't force someone to marry someone they don't love. I could see why Alpha and Omega got a lot of bad reviews. The plot was very same ol', same ol' in its execution.
But after a while, I concluded that Alpha and Omega isn't a film to watch for its plot. Rather, I found myself growing to like a few of the lead/major characters. I found Humphrey in particular to be amusing and likeable, as I did Kate for her Sane Wolf status and badassery. I also liked the developing Beta Couple Lilly and Garth in their respects (namely Lilly's Adorkable personality and how Garth was thankfully more than the complete Jerk Jock archetype they could have resorted to). I found some gags amusing, like Garth's horrible howl dropping birds and Humphrey attempting to stop the rain with a reversed rain dance. I'll even admit that I love the logboarding sequences, which turned out to be an effective Chekhov's Skill by the film's end. And when I did laugh, it was legitimate, not ironic.
However, the characters aren't without faults. I didn't really care for Paddy and Marcel and got annoyed by Eve's death threat Running Gag. Tony was also sadly undeveloped as an antagonist, and I wish we could have seen more of the Eastern pack beyond him and Garth. (Although as Dennis Hopper's final role, he fared alright.) Even the characters I like aren't without flaws. Kate is underdeveloped compared to Humphrey, which is sad considering her role as a lead and how her disappearance is what kicks off the plot in the first place. And Humphrey's role as Comic Relief is undercut by overuse before a lot of more serious sequences can play out to justify it. This also isn't helped by the film's awkward editing job, relentlessly cutting back and forth at parts between our lupine couples and the rest of the story at hand.
It will likely depend on whether or not you like the leads as I did. But my advice is to not to watch this film for its plot, but its characters and humor. You already know the story going in. So just see if the characters work for you. And maybe it'll be better than expected, as it was with me. 7.5/10.
Not for Plot, But for Characters
I went in already determining the course of this film, spoilers and all: the interclass love story, the journey with its gradual falling in love sequences, and how it would ultimately end on an Aladdin-esque Aesop about how one shouldn't force someone to marry someone they don't love. I could see why Alpha and Omega got a lot of bad reviews. The plot was very same ol', same ol' in its execution.
But after a while, I concluded that Alpha and Omega isn't a film to watch for its plot. Rather, I found myself growing to like a few of the lead/major characters. I found Humphrey in particular to be amusing and likeable, as I did Kate for her Sane Wolf status and badassery. I also liked the developing Beta Couple Lilly and Garth in their respects (namely Lilly's Adorkable personality and how Garth was thankfully more than the complete Jerk Jock archetype they could have resorted to). I found some gags amusing, like Garth's horrible howl dropping birds and Humphrey attempting to stop the rain with a reversed rain dance. I'll even admit that I love the logboarding sequences, which turned out to be an effective Chekhov's Skill by the film's end. And when I did laugh, it was legitimate, not ironic.
However, the characters aren't without faults. I didn't really care for Paddy and Marcel and got annoyed by Eve's death threat Running Gag. Tony was also sadly undeveloped as an antagonist, and I wish we could have seen more of the Eastern pack beyond him and Garth. (Although as Dennis Hopper's final role, he fared alright.) Even the characters I like aren't without flaws. Kate is underdeveloped compared to Humphrey, which is sad considering her role as a lead and how her disappearance is what kicks off the plot in the first place. And Humphrey's role as Comic Relief is undercut by overuse before a lot of more serious sequences can play out to justify it. This also isn't helped by the film's awkward editing job, relentlessly cutting back and forth at parts between our lupine couples and the rest of the story at hand.
It will likely depend on whether or not you like the leads as I did. But my advice is to not to watch this film for its plot, but its characters and humor. You already know the story going in. So just see if the characters work for you. And maybe it'll be better than expected, as it was with me. 7.5/10.