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Teenage Caveman
Columbia/Tri-Star // R // July 2, 2002
List Price: $24.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Although many have criticized Hollywood for pulling ideas from pre-existing stories (old TV shows, etc.), one starts to become a little bit worried when they're remaking old B-movies. After Showtime brought in several directors to remake Samuel Arkoff's old B-movies for their "Rebel Highway" series - which gained little attention - we are now presented with "Creature Features" - more remakes of movies that may have dazzled audiences in the past, but will likely appear rather goofy to modern viewers.
"Teenage Caveman" is surprisingly directed by Larry Clark, the director famed for his controversial pictures such as "Kids" and "Bully". "Caveman" plays sort of like one of Clark's pictures crossed with "Planet Of The Apes". Although appearing at first as if it's from the very far past, "Teenage Caveman" actually takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, whee we focus on a group of survivors, lead by a preacher-like fellow whose rules strictly govern the way of life for the tribe. Defending his girlfriend Sarah (Tara Subkoff) against the tribe leader, David ends up killing him and running off with Sarah and several of his friends.
Ending up in a sandstorm right before they reach one of the "ancient cities" they've heard so much about, the group wakes up in a lab with Neil (Richard Hillman) and Judith (Tiffany Limos), a couple who are immortal thanks to a previous science experiement (isn't that convienient?). Although most of the kids party in their new surroundings with the alcohol supplied to them by their hosts, David and Sarah aren't so sure.
"Teenage Caveman" includes a lot of lots of nudity, a fair amount of sex and some violence (staples of any Clark movie), but it also forgets to throw in little things like compelling characters, good performances (most of the actors seem disinterested) and a decent story. There's never any details about what happened to the world and it's hard to tell at first whether the story is taking place in the far past or far future. There's really little to the plot - the kids escape, the kids get into the couple's house, the kids drink and do drugs and whatnot, the kids start...well, I won't reveal any further details, but lets say that the famed Stan Winston studios was somehow convinced to participate in the special effects.
Overall, while the film isn't as bad as some of the "Rebel Highway" titles that I've seen, Clark's effort fails on almost every level.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Teenage Caveman" is presented by Columbia Tristar in both 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 full-frame - both are included on the dual-layer disc. The 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation is a fairly strong offering from the studio - while the heavy processing and other camera tricks may displease some viewers, there's really little to complain about with the transfer, which appears remarkably sharp and detailed.
Flaws were spotted, but they remained very minor. A couple of specks here and there on the print used were seen, but that's about it. Edge enhancement, which some of the studio's titles occasionally have a problem with, was not seen, nor were any instances of pixelation. The film's color palette was somewhat varied during the indoor scenes, but the exteriors have either a washed out or heavily blue-tinted appearance. Colors looked accurate to what the intentions of the filmmakers must have been.
SOUND: "Teenage Caveman" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. However, the sound generally folded up to mono with the exception of a few moments, such as the sandstorm early on.
MENUS: The main menu is actually nicely animated, with stylish use of images from the film.
EXTRAS: Very short "Making Of" featurette, photo gallery, filmographies and trailers for "Creature Features", "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and "Urban Legends:Final Cut".
Final Thoughts: "Teenage Caveman" is a pretty weak effort - while Clark has obviously attempted to liven up the tale, the writing is poor and the acting is mediocre. Columbia/Tristar offers a fine DVD, with solid image quality, decent audio and a couple of minimal supplements. Still, I wouldn't recommend it.
Although many have criticized Hollywood for pulling ideas from pre-existing stories (old TV shows, etc.), one starts to become a little bit worried when they're remaking old B-movies. After Showtime brought in several directors to remake Samuel Arkoff's old B-movies for their "Rebel Highway" series - which gained little attention - we are now presented with "Creature Features" - more remakes of movies that may have dazzled audiences in the past, but will likely appear rather goofy to modern viewers.
"Teenage Caveman" is surprisingly directed by Larry Clark, the director famed for his controversial pictures such as "Kids" and "Bully". "Caveman" plays sort of like one of Clark's pictures crossed with "Planet Of The Apes". Although appearing at first as if it's from the very far past, "Teenage Caveman" actually takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, whee we focus on a group of survivors, lead by a preacher-like fellow whose rules strictly govern the way of life for the tribe. Defending his girlfriend Sarah (Tara Subkoff) against the tribe leader, David ends up killing him and running off with Sarah and several of his friends.
Ending up in a sandstorm right before they reach one of the "ancient cities" they've heard so much about, the group wakes up in a lab with Neil (Richard Hillman) and Judith (Tiffany Limos), a couple who are immortal thanks to a previous science experiement (isn't that convienient?). Although most of the kids party in their new surroundings with the alcohol supplied to them by their hosts, David and Sarah aren't so sure.
"Teenage Caveman" includes a lot of lots of nudity, a fair amount of sex and some violence (staples of any Clark movie), but it also forgets to throw in little things like compelling characters, good performances (most of the actors seem disinterested) and a decent story. There's never any details about what happened to the world and it's hard to tell at first whether the story is taking place in the far past or far future. There's really little to the plot - the kids escape, the kids get into the couple's house, the kids drink and do drugs and whatnot, the kids start...well, I won't reveal any further details, but lets say that the famed Stan Winston studios was somehow convinced to participate in the special effects.
Overall, while the film isn't as bad as some of the "Rebel Highway" titles that I've seen, Clark's effort fails on almost every level.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Teenage Caveman" is presented by Columbia Tristar in both 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 full-frame - both are included on the dual-layer disc. The 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation is a fairly strong offering from the studio - while the heavy processing and other camera tricks may displease some viewers, there's really little to complain about with the transfer, which appears remarkably sharp and detailed.
Flaws were spotted, but they remained very minor. A couple of specks here and there on the print used were seen, but that's about it. Edge enhancement, which some of the studio's titles occasionally have a problem with, was not seen, nor were any instances of pixelation. The film's color palette was somewhat varied during the indoor scenes, but the exteriors have either a washed out or heavily blue-tinted appearance. Colors looked accurate to what the intentions of the filmmakers must have been.
SOUND: "Teenage Caveman" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. However, the sound generally folded up to mono with the exception of a few moments, such as the sandstorm early on.
MENUS: The main menu is actually nicely animated, with stylish use of images from the film.
EXTRAS: Very short "Making Of" featurette, photo gallery, filmographies and trailers for "Creature Features", "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and "Urban Legends:Final Cut".
Final Thoughts: "Teenage Caveman" is a pretty weak effort - while Clark has obviously attempted to liven up the tale, the writing is poor and the acting is mediocre. Columbia/Tristar offers a fine DVD, with solid image quality, decent audio and a couple of minimal supplements. Still, I wouldn't recommend it.
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