Movie Review: Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)

🎬 Movie Review: The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)

Rating: 🥃
Flames: 🔥

Cold as prehistoric soup

I went into this movie hoping for a nostalgic, if slightly cheesy, adaptation of Jean M. Auel’s The Clan of the Cave Bear. What I got instead was… a mostly silent, confusing, and emotionally flat experience that would’ve completely lost me if I hadn’t read the books.

The biggest issue? No subtitles for the sign language. The Clan communicates almost entirely through hand signals, and while that’s true to the source material, it completely alienates the viewer here. There’s no narration, no explanation, and no way to form a connection with the characters. It’s all grunts, glares, and gestures—with zero emotional weight behind it. I found myself constantly guessing what was happening, and not in a good way.

None of the characters were likeable or accessible, especially without the context of the novel. Ayla’s inner strength, Creb’s wisdom, Iza’s warmth—gone. Just blank stares and awkward blocking.

That said, I’ll give the filmmakers some grace: this was the mid-80s, and adapting a book so rooted in internal dialogue, nonverbal culture, and prehistoric anthropology was a tall order. I suspect they did the best they could with the tech and storytelling tools available at the time. But that doesn't mean it holds up.

If you're a fan of the books, this might be worth watching as a curiosity. Otherwise, skip the movie and just reread the series.