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If we had been handed the preface, the plot would have been similar, but would have focused more on what was intended. I would imagine the major differance would occur in the humor. I would expect far more sophisticated humor. Another rift would occur visually. We would have produced something a bit more proportionate, and with a more sketchy appearance instead of the more plastic appearance that we see in the movie. I would also expect a rift in the behavior of the wolves. We wouldnt have abandoned natural behavior as it was abandoned in the movie. I think this movie suffers from the same thing Balto 3 suffers from. A high potential plot poorly executed on a low budget.

That doesnt nessesarily make it a horrible movie, but I feel like it was directed at a younger audiance then Balto 1 was. Probably more towards the audiance that Balto 2 & 3 were directed to.

Two major things turn me away from this movie, the first being the visual style, and the second being the type of humor involved, and its lack of sophistication.

Now, I cant speak for myself really, I havent seen the movie. However, I think I've aquired a pretty clear image of it from what the trailer suggested to me and what the reviews here have confirmed. This topic though, oh how we might have written it, kind of inspires me to go see it, and rewrite it as an expirement towards how I would have conducted the plot from the same preface.

Not if I'd had anything to do with it. I can recognize where the movie falls down, I'm pretty sure I would have been able to make it into a much better movie, as would a number of other writers here whose talents I greatly respect. It's pretty simple:

1. Invest more into the central characters.
2. Take out all the butt and pee jokes.
3. Make the audience care what happens to Humphrey and Kate.
4. Less log riding.
5. Stop insulting the audience's intelligence and take the characters seriously.

Assuming we would still be basing the movie on the same premise, the plot would have to be at least somewhat similar. But there is a lot of road between "somewhat similar" and "exactly the same". If we fixed what is actually wrong with the movie, the plot could still remain similar to what it is now, and it would be a vastly better movie with serious character development, and emotional high points that hit much harder, low points that hit much harder, and a grand finale that would have half the audience crying.

That's the kind of movie it could have been, and should have been. The animation is another story, it would depend on the budget, but I would have liked to have made the wolves look a lot less goofy.

Agreed. There are two major rifts:
Sophistication and Animation

Whole point of even making a movie, in my opinion. If the audience doesn't care what happens to the characters, then the effect is totally lost.

The problem with that theory is you wouldn't have had this movie for a reference xDDD Sure you would've gotten rid of the log riding and fixed some information about the pack structure in general. But if you were given the title "Alpha and Omega", I'm sure it would've still been a childish, mild romance about wolves.

Riddle me this. How would one even go about making the audience care about the main characters?

Give the opportunity for the audience to almost have a relationship with that character. You should know that better than anyone, Cat, with Kiona and Achak and whatnot. People cared about what happened to them because they knew so much about them, saw into their minds, knew their backgrounds, histories, families, feelings and regrets, and because of that the readers (or watchers, in A&O's case) would care more about them.

Let's say you'd have to choose between two people to live. One is your best friend, and another is a total stranger. Obviously, the best friend. Because you know them, and you care what happens to them because of that.

Actually, what Alpha and Omega is right now is childish. What I would have done with it would be the opposite of childish, I would take it more seriously and not pander to the lowest common denominator. It would probably be a romance, yes - I mean that's what the movie is about, essentially.

You make the audience care more about the main characters through character development. You need to tell more of their backstory, show more of their hopes and dreams, fears and nightmares. You have to make the audience identify with the characters, to make them think "that could be me". You do that by revealing intimate details, which could be anything from an inner monologue to a longing expression to dreams, conversations with close friends or even just by showing one character's reaction to the other one in a way that really shows how they feel.

There are a lot of ways to do it, but ultimately the audience has to identify on a personal level with the characters. If they don't, then they don't care what happens to that character, no matter what the character does.

Agreed. To say we would have produced a childish mild romance is quite presumtous. Having read many a fanfic, I would have expected much differance. We were discussing the preface, the plot outlined, as our base, but with just the title, it would have been vastly differant. The title doesnt nessisarily suggest romance, it could suggest anything between an Alpha and an Omega. but the preface suggests love. The title alone could be taken in almost an infinate number of directions.

Technically, by title alone, it doesnt really suggest wolves. The terms Alpha and Omega are nothing more then two Greek letter designations used universally for almost all pack animals. Of course, in our hands, it likely would have been about wolves. However, it would not nessesarilly have been a romance, though that would be likely. However, I would expect sophistication. It wouldn't be childish.

Shifting gears for a second.



Of course I know that, I was asking you all for specifics how THEY would do it xD



Newsflash, there's many MANY MANY MANY low budget movies that SURPASS even more high budget movies. (Blair Witch Project anyone? Clerks?? Like every Disney movie in the 70's had a low budget for its time. All of which beat the tar out of Avatar) In this case, I blame the script mostly. Why others don't is beyond me.

Even with the crappy effects, one could argue that a good story would make you see through it.

Low budget was only part of it. I guess what I really mean is that it looks as though the creators weren't preticularly passionate about what they were doing. Everything seems... Hurried, like the movie was concived on a very short timescale. Not much thought went into the plot. Someone had a brief idea, got some people on board, and threw together a movie. I didn't attribute the failures to budget. I attributed them to writting with budget as a possible caralyst thereof. My primary phrase was "poorly executed". I suppose I wasn't very clear on that though.

We, too blame the writers. That is where the poor execution lies. If you read fanfics, then watch this movie, differances are appearent in style of execution. They generally introduce characters well, detailing them and giving them deep personallities throughout long exposition periods. Again, Alpha and Omega appears hurried and shallow. I think that was it's key downfall. It was shallow where Balto and most fanfics related to it are very deep, thus the sophistication and lackthereof.

Am I the only one who would give this film a positive review? I actually... Enjoyed it (even though I thought I would hate it)

No,you're not the only one,I also give A&O,a positive review.^^

You guys should tell us why because I'm getting the vibe that y'all only liked it cuz it had wolves in it.

Personally, I liked the way the film was set out, the character profiles (exc. their mouth's and the hair...), and the overall plot... And I enjoyed it, what more do you want Cat?

I'd like a decent explanation as to why you liked all those things xD