By George & Josh Bate
The second and final secret screening of Fantastic Fest 2026 was Alpha Gang, a stylized and commendably creative, yet disastrously messy new film from brothers David and Nathan Zellner.
Taking place somewhere in Europe at a deliberately undefined period of history (which resembles the 1940s/50s), Alpha Gang follows its titular collective, a group of aliens who have taken the form of a 1950s biker gang. As the gang (Léa Seydoux, Dave Bautista, Lily-Rose Depp, Riley Keough, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Bae Doona) grow accustomed to living as humans, the gang tries to complete its primary objective: complete annihilation of Earth’s inhabitants. The obstacle getting in the way of them achieving this goal? Emotions, a concept completely foreign to an alien species without feelings.
In a day and age full of prequels, sequels, requels, remakes, and reboots, there is something undeniably refreshing about seeing a movie as original and unabashedly strange as Alpha Gang. The Zelkers’ follow-up to the beautifully bizarre Sasquatch Sunset continues the filmmaking duo’s track record of creating films unlike any offering in the marketplace. They’re unafraid to take big swings, especially stylistically, but big swings sometimes lead to big misses, as is the case with Alpha Gang.
The new film, which premiered at this year’s Telluride Film Festival and went on to screen at Toronto International Film Festival before making its way to Austin, is unusual from the get-go. The main group of characters all wear 1950s biker outfits with the words ‘Alpha Gang’ bedazzled on the backs of their jackets. The Earth in which they inhabit feels weirdly out of time, with shades of World War II-era Europe and occasional bursts of retro-futurism. And, if that wasn’t strange enough, they’re all aliens. Aliens who have taken the form of humans and are now experiencing life as humans for the first time.
That means the Alpha Gang are unfamiliar with essential elements of being a human, such as having bowel movements, eating, and, of course, dance. The latter is of particular interest to the group, who break out in dance frequently (and frustratingly) far too often in the film.
But the most notable transition for the aliens to make is growing accustomed to having emotions. Anger, sadness, happiness, love, fear, and disappointment are all concepts completely unknown to the group. Naturally, people (and aliens) fear the unknown and, as such, are quick to brand emotions as an “epidemic” that needs to be quelled.
One would think such a set-up would give way to plenty of solid humor. A seemingly superior alien species comes to Earth only to struggle with basic things like going to the bathroom and feeling joy. Yet the Zelkers fail to mine this concept for jokes to the extent that they could. There are a quirky elements here and there, but, overwhelmingly, the film is devoid of wit and falls flat with sight gags, one-liners, absurdist humor, and gross-out jokes.
Alpha Gang similarly squanders the more dramatic potential of its premise. A collective aliens coming terms with their newfound emotions and understanding that feelings should be embraced, rather than suppressed, would seemingly make for rather endearing viewing. Sadly, this is rarely the case. With the exception of a few tender moments, the film doesn’t come close to striking an emotional chord and even feels bafflingly restrained in taking its clever premise to its logical and narrative extreme.
Admittedly, sparks of life pop up in Alpha Gang, but they are all too fleeting. There’s certainly some fun be had seeing actors of the caliber of Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine, and Léa Seydoux wear such silly costumes, do such silly things, and deliver such silly lines, although none of this is done with enough ingenuity to justify the staggered pacing, poor humor, and lack of dramatic weight.
VERDICT: 4/10
The second and final secret screening at the 2026 edition of Fantastic Fest, Alpha Gang is a stylized and admirably original, yet disastrously messy new film from David and Nathan Zelker. The filmmaking duo and brothers follow up the beautifully bizarre Sasquatch Sunset with a film that should be applauded for bringing something different to the marketplace and taking as many big swings as it does. Unfortunately, the big swings lead to a lot of big misses. A clever premise rise for potentially hilarious and emotionally rich material of aliens learning what it’s like to be human and experiencing emotions for the first time goes woefully underutilized, leading to only a handful of tender moments and even fewer solid jokes. There’s certainly some fun be had seeing actors of the caliber of Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine, and Léa Seydoux wear such silly costumes, do such silly things, and deliver such silly lines, although none of this is done with enough ingenuity to justify the staggered pacing, poor humor, and lack of dramatic weight. For all the talent in front of and behind the camera, Alpha Gang may be one of the biggest surprises of the year in just how massively it misses the mark.