Quest for Fire is a unique prehistoric adventure film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. The plot concerns a trio of Neanderthals who embark on a dangerous journey to find a new source of fire for their tribe, forcing them to fight saber-toothed tigers, rival tribes of proto-humans and their own cultural limitations.

In a genre typically known for stop-motion dinosaur battles and fur bikinis, Quest for Fire holds the honor of being the most serious caveman movie to hit the screen. It examines the curious time in human history when we were just beginning to differentiate ourselves from primates and start developing civilization – an undertaking, we might add, that culminated in Iron Maiden’s sweet-ass homage “Quest for Fire.”

Three reasons to watch:

• Visual storytelling: The most notable feature of the film is its lack of intelligible dialogue and subtitles. Our heroes primarily communicate in gestures, expressions and snippets of a crude caveman language created by author Anthony Burgess. Nonetheless, the plot, characters and motivations are all perfectly clear. It’s a refreshing and unusual cinema experience that is rare outside of silent films.
• Caveman performances: While the use of language helps give an authentic feel to the world, it’s ultimately the physical performances that do the heavy lifting. The actors bury themselves in the roles (and Oscar award-winning make-up) to feel completely unrecognizable as modern humans. Of particular note are the stoically comic character played by Ron Perlman (who is probably half Neanderthal himself) and Rae Dawn Chong’s smart and squirrely Cro-Magnon.
• Anthropological perspective: I’ve always found it a bit fascinating to think of a time when multiple types of hominids existed and possibly interacted. It’s rare to find proto-human species acknowledged in today’s political climate, much less a whole movie made about how they might have lived. While the science of the film might be dodgy and archaic at best, it’s a fascinating subject to contemplate for 90 minutes.

Don’t say that I didn’t warn you about:

• Neolithic sexual mores: Cavemen weren’t exactly enlightened in their appreciation of shame or taboo, so prepare for some frank depictions of early human sexuality and nudity. A lot of it. If that unsettles you, maybe check out some of our more modest recommendations.

Resources:

• Watch the trailer.
• Check out the Rotten Tomatoes.
• Find where to see it.