8 Best Movies & Shows To Watch Like Alpha

The 2018 adventure movie Alpha is trending on Netflix, and there are several great shows and movies with similar settings or themes to watch next. The movie follows a teenage boy named Keda during the last ice age as he journeys away from his settlement for the first time on a hunting trip with others from his tribe. However, during a steppe bison stampede, Keda is knocked from a cliff. Thinking him dead, his father and the rest of their hunting group leave, forcing Keda to survive on his own in the dangerous wilderness.

While the movie may seem bleak for a bit, Keda soon finds company with a wolf, Alpha, who he begins to domesticate. The wholesome connection between Keda and Alpha also makes Alpha a great addition to Netflix's catalog of dog movies, and it highlights just how far back the connection between the two species goes. Along with the impressive performances and visuals, their strong relationship is just one of the enjoyable aspects of Alpha that will leave audiences looking for similarly entertaining stories to watch next.

8 The Call of the Wild (2020)

The 2020 Adaptation Shows Another Great Bond Between A Man And A Dog

The Harrison Ford-led adaptation of Jack London's 1903 novelThe Call of the Wild centers on a dog named Buck and his adventures across the Yukon territory. The movie sees the dog forcibly taken from California to work as a sled dog in the Yukon, facing various trials in his relationships with humans who treat the dog with disrespect. Luckily, the movie also follows Buck during his time with Ford's, Thornton, who bonds with the dog and encourages him to embrace his wild side, allowing audiences to get a glimpse of the species' former natural habitat.

Unlike Alpha, which largely flew under the radar at the time of its release, the notoriety of London's work and Harrison Ford's status meant that The Call of the Wild got plenty of press leading up to its release. Though it only received moderate reviews and failed to make back its exorbitant budget, The Call of the Wild is actually very tender and definitely worth a watch for dog lovers. There are certainly difficult moments throughout the plot, but overall, the movie's themes of survival and loyalty are very clear through Thornton and Buck's relationship.

7 La Brea (2021-2024)

The Series Provides A Very Different Look At What Prehistory May Have Been Like

The concept of prehistory and what it would have been like to live thousands of years ago is incredibly interesting since there is so much that can never be known from fossil evidence. While Alpha attempts to construct that kind of life in one way, the series La Brea approaches the topic from a very different direction. The NBC science fiction series begins in present-day Los Angeles, but that quickly changes as characters are pulled into a sinkhole that transports them far into the past, leaving them fighting for survival.

La Brea is currently streaming on Peacock.

The series sees characters learn to survive in a world that is much more primal than the one that we know today. They deal with a difficult environment and dangerous animals, while their counterparts in the contemporary world worry over how to bring everyone back. While the science fiction angle and modern aspects of the show make it different from Alpha in some ways, La Brea's ability to explore what early human settlers in the Americas would have seen is an interesting comparison to Alpha's vision of life in Europe in the Upper Paleolithic.

6 Togo (2019)

The Movie Tells The True Story Leonhard Seppala And His Dogs

Disney's 2019 movie Togo tells the incredible true story of the sled dog Togo and his owner, Leonhard Seppala. Togo's cast is led by Willem Dafoe as Seppala, a musher in Nome, Alaska who was involved in the 1925 Diptheria serum run to Nome. At the time of its release on Disney+, Togo received positive reviews and currently holds a 92% critical approval rating and 95% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers noted that the story is both gripping and a wholesome look at the bond between its characters, human and animal.

Togo's dramatization of real events is certainly gripping, but it never feels overdone. Audiences can appreciate the real stakes that Seppala and his team of sled dogs face as they rush to carry the antitoxin from Nenana to Nome. Like Alpha, Togo highlights the limits of survival and the importance of the bond between one man and his dog as the two rely on each other to survive. Despite their different settings and plots, the two films pair well thanks to their shared themes and lovable canine characters.

5 The Revenant (2015)

The Survival Movie Is Darker Than Keda's Story

For those audiences who were most interested in the survival aspects of Keda's story, The Revenant is an even more intense watch that makes use of some of the same plot beats. Alpha sees Keda left behind after being injured and includes him overcoming those injuries to go on his own hero's journey home to his tribe. Leonardo DiCaprio's role as Hugh Glass in The Revenant sees him undertake a bloody R-rated version of a similar journey. The movie is not appropriate for younger audiences, but for adults who enjoyed Alpha, The Revenant feels like a source of inspiration.

The Revenant follows Hugh Glass, a frontiersman who was left by his companions after being attacked and nearly killed by a bear. Much of the film follows his harrowing journey back to Fort Kiowa, evading enemies and narrowly surviving under harsh conditions. The movie's portrayal of betrayal and revenge through impressive performances and great direction earned The Revenant numerous awards, including both Best Director for Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio at the Oscars.

4 Prehistoric Planet (2022-2023)

The Docuseries Is Narrated By David Attenborough

Alpha creates a very interesting fictionalized version of prehistoric life, with characters who help make the far-off period feel more understandable to modern audiences. The Apple TV+ documentary series Prehistoric Planet takes things back even further, and it does so as a speculative documentary. Prehistoric Planet draws attention to the time before humans walked the Earth. While Keda interacts with now-extinct species, the David Attenborough-narrated series focuses exclusively on them, including various dinosaurs and their contemporaries.

Keda's life in a hunter-gatherer society is completely foreign to many modern audiences, but Alpha makes his journey understandable. Likewise, Prehistoric Planet brought the Late Cretaceous period to life with CGI renderings of dinosaurs and other Cretaceous species using the most updated technology and archaeological findings. Prehistoric Planet was nominated for numerous awards and received great reviews, making it the perfect series for Alpha's audiences interested in learning more about another stage of prehistory.

3 Dogs: The Untold Story (2016)

For A Greater Look At How Dogs Came To Be Important Parts Of Human Life

Dogs: The Untold Story is a documentary miniseries that is currently available to stream on Discovery+. As much as Alpha is about Keda's story of survival and his journey through the unknown to make it back to his family and home, it is equally about Alpha and how the two characters become linked. To dog owners, their relationship probably does not come as much of a surprise. What viewers may know less about is how exactly dogs came to be such an important part of human life, but Dogs: The Untold Story helps explain just that.

From wild dogs to dogs trained for specific purposes, the series highlights just how much we as humans have come to rely on our canine companions.

The documentary series explores different dog breeds from around the world and how they interact with humans. From wild dogs to dogs trained for specific purposes, the series highlights just how much we as humans have come to rely on our canine companions. In other words, how Keda comes to rely on Alpha throughout the movie is explained in more scientific terms. With just 5 episodes, the series is perfect for a quick watch that will satisfy the whole family.

2 10,000 BC (2008)

The Story Of Prehistoric Life Is Entertaining

10,000 BC tells the story of one young man's adventure into the unknown after his hunter-gatherer camp is attacked, changing his life forever. The movie follows D'Leh, a warrior who hopes to rescue those close to him, including his love interest Evolet, after they are captured by warriors from another tribe. The movie highlights vastly different ways of life and beliefs and how those changed humanity, at the same time following D'Leh's hero's journey.

What Language The Characters Are Speaking In 2018's Alpha

The 2018 movie Alpha follows a boys journey to reunite with his family, but this detail about the movie's language makes Alpha even more impressive.

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At the time of its release, 10,000 BC was a box office success, showing that audiences enjoyed the action sequences and fictional historical narrative. However, the movie failed to impress critics due to its various historical inaccuracies, including the hunter-gatherers of 10,000 BC interacting with civilizations and technology that would not exist for thousands of years. In spite of the anachronisms, 10,000 BC is still worth watching simply because it is a very fun and entertaining popcorn movie with a similar prehistoric setting to Alpha.

1 Iceman (2017)

Iceman's Tale Of Adventure And Survival Is Similar To Alpha

The 2017 German film Iceman tells a speculative story about the life and death of the real mummy, Otzi, who lived in the Alps over 5,000 years ago. Scientific analysis of the mummy since it was found in the 1990s has revealed a lot about who he was, making the film's story incredibly interesting. Iceman follows Kelab (the movie's version of Otzi) as he goes on a quest for vengeance after surviving an attack on his clan. It chronicles his search for the attackers leading to his death, corresponding to how he was found thousands of years later.

Iceman is currently streaming on Prime Video.

Iceman received positive reviews upon its release and currently holds an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Positive critics' reviews on the site noted the film's impressive direction and performances, likening the narrative to classic adventure films and even Westerns due to Iceman's themes of revenge and grief. Interestingly, Iceman has very little dialogue, but it does use a speculative version of Rhaetian that was recreated by a linguist in a similar manner to Alpha's detailed proto-language, adding to the film's realism.

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