Great Film overall

Good concept, poorly executed.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

True, this isn't the most splendid picture you'll ever see. The scenario is a bit sketchy, it all goes a bit too fast to take the whole span of the story seriously, the make-up of the Neanderthals looks shabby etc. Nonetheless, I quite enjoyed watching this film. I just love the feel of prehistoric stories with wide landscapes, clothes in hides, wildness in people and animals, caves, camping fires etc. Next to that, it's always a pleasure to see a young Daryl Hannah especially cloth in hides and with her legs barely covered. Sexy. But I even like the story, even though the book it's based upon could be better brought to the screen. In the book, for instance, you get a much better feel for the depth of difference between Neanderthals and Cro-magnons, which is why you better understand why Ayla has such a hard time in the clan, and why she has constant troubles mainly with Brun. In the movie all of that is not clarified. So I say: if you like the movie but want to dig deeper: read the book.

Not true in all respects to Jean Auel's novel, but entertaining in its own right. Then again, neither the book or film is accurate in light of more recent archaeological and anthropological research. The story is clearly set in the ice age, and close to the ice. Many Paleolithic burials have been found in this kind of setting. The stunning Canadian scenery, with its dense coniferous forests and mountains scarred from the last ice age, is perfect to convey this. Acting is good, with Daryl Hannah doing very well in the lead, and James Remar outstanding as Creb, the crippled holy man. In the book, I believe Ayla was about twelve, so it would have been smart to give Nicole Eggert (as the younger "Middle Ayla") a lot more screen time, and she was certainly capable of it. The scenes with Nicole Eggert and James Remar conversing are the most enjoyable in the film. I think costumes could have used a little more work. All of the characters wore furs and pieces of leather crudely patched together, but for some reason Miss Eggert's costume didn't look quite right and appeared unduly cumbersome for a kid to wear; probably should have tried some different styles for her and the handful of other young people in the film. At the other extreme, it seemed kind of odd for men to be out hunting muskox wearing practically nothing at all. Okay, maybe the Arctic isn't always freezing, but muskox live only in the Arctic and like the cold. Along with Quest for Fire, Clan of the Cave Bear is a serious work about the Old Stone Age. Unfortunately, both films fall somewhat short when it comes to truly great cinematic entertainment about our Paleolithic ancestors. The film industry needs to continue trying to meet the challenge.

I agree with the first reviewer that this is an excellent film and I also enjoyed the book. I have always found the epoch it is set in fascinating and this film makes a good stab at suggesting how life might have been. It strikes me as reasonably credible anthropologically and its message about the value of human intelligence and initiative is positive and valid. Primitivism is not idealised but shown as what it is - a set of obstacles. It's also in the great and good tradition of entertaining Hollywood films about prehistory starring babes, e.g. 2000 Years B.C. Another interesting aspect of these films is the approach to language, and I like the subtitle solution. I should mention that the cast are good as well as Daryll Hannah. A fine film on a challenging subject.

I am one of those who absolutely adore the stories of Ayla written by Jean Auel. I've read them all several times and am still waiting for the upcoming parts to the story. However, not until now have I seen this movie... and what a disappointment..There is just too many holes in this story that there's no end to it. I mean, I understand that in -86 there was some things you couldn't make as perfect as you can in modern film - like the looks of the so called Neanderthals of this movie, or the small variations in the clan way of behaving.. But you could at least keep to the story. If you can't make a long enough movie, so you could include all the important details instead of making your own "short version", then why even bother?I mean just for example: First of all, the way Ayla lost her family and when she saw Iza for the first time. Why change those small things? The way Creb learned her how to speak the Clan way - was it so hard to show more of that, to express how hard that was for her? The way Ayla got her totem, and when! Iza would never have asked Creb to find a totem for her, and why the long time? Uba wasn't supposed to be born! When Iza started training her to become a medicine woman.. It was way earlier in the story than that. Why Ayla decided to hunt even though it was forbidden, and why she learned to throw two stones. When Broud raped her, and why. When Ayla got pregnant, and why she wanted to keep it so badly. Why Broud separates Ayla from Durc when he gets leader.. That Ayla would use her weapon against Broud... that's insane.And the fact that she would give birth to Durc alone in her cave is just WHAAAT?! Complete mix-up. And that Ayla and Uba would have met one of the Others in the middle of nowhere?! (Jondalar?) I mean that doesn't fit into anywhere.It's mostly small stuff that I don't understand WHY they would change, but I could have lived with small differences as long as they could've kept to the true story and not cutting it short because of budget or whatever. The relationships between all the characters was never told the way it should, it feels like more than half of it was left out.If i hadn't read the books beforehand I'm sure I could have appreciated it better, but this simply pisses me off.It's a shame that such a great story never will be told the way it deserves, because of this.