It is 80,000 years ago and a clan of primitive humans live in a cave. Though they have fire, it is not something they can create. Fire is stolen from nature and maintained. Another tribe, more primitive still, attacks to steal the fire and perhaps some of the women. Their cave overrun, the survivors flee to an island in a nearby marsh. They have no fire! Three warriors are selected to find fire: Naoh (Everett McGill), Amoukar (Ron Perlman), and Gaw (Nameer El-Kadi). The journey is truly epic, with the heroes escaping saber-toothed tigers, mammoths, wolves, a cannibalistic tribe, a bear, and more. They inadvertently rescue Ika (Rae Dawn Chong), who follows them despite their efforts to send her away. Of course, male-female relationships are fairly simplistic at this point and Naoh is the alpha male of the group.
Though the characters speak, it is all gibberish without subtitle. The meaning is understood through context. Despite the primitive setting, the adventure is truly epic. Not only did they overcome immense odds to retrieve fire, they learned new things by interacting with Ika and Ika's tribe. They get new technologies, they learn to laugh, they discover the missionary position, and more. Once they have returned and reoccupied their cave, Amoukar tells stories around the campfire of his encounter with mammoths.
The acting is tremendous. McGill is amazing when he sees another tribe make fire from scratch. The emotional rollercoaster he shows is quite impressive. Ron Perlman is Amoukar. It is always possible to see what he is thinking and feeling whenever he is onscreen. An outstanding performance. Rae Dawn Chong shows some dedication in appearing nude - clothed only in mud paint - throughout. She is the most talkative of everyone (women, right?).
Great popcorn fun and highly recommended.
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