A young boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is injured and must form a bond with a wolf in order survive the deadly wildness in Albert Hughes’ big-budget film “Alpha,” which Columbia just released a second trailer for today. The film takes place during the Paleolithic period, with the official synopsis below:

“While on his first hunt with his tribe’s most elite group, a young man is injured and left for dead. Awakening to find himself broken and alone – he must learn to survive and navigate the harsh and unforgiving wilderness. Reluctantly taming a lone wolf abandoned by its pack, he learns to rely on it, and they become unlikely allies, enduring countless dangers and overwhelming odds to find their way home before the deadly winter arrives.”

While the film gives off a tentpole feel, as it’s being released in IMAX 3D, you’d be forgiven for not hearing about it before, as McPhee seems to be the only big name star and the released day was pushed back from an initial September 2017 release to  May 20 to finally landing on the August 17 date it now has. It’s good, however, to see Albert Hughes making movies again as his previous 2013 film “Broken City” was a huge disappointment compared to the earlier films he made with his brother Allen Hughes (“Menace II Society”, “Dead Presidents”, “The Book of Eli”). We will see if “Alpha” lives up to those previous efforts.

In addition to McPhee, the film co-stars Lenor Varela, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Jens Hulten, and, of course, a wolf. The film was written by Dan Wiedenhaupt in his first produced screenplay, with a story by Albert Hughes. Let us know what you think of the trailer below.

“Alpha” opens wide August 17.