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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :- Warning, don't go beyond the river, 25 May 2006 Author: Chris Gaskin from Derby, England
Teenage Caveman is an enjoyable Prehistoric adventure from Roger Corman and I taped this when BBC2 screened it during the early hours some years ago.A young caveman goes against warnings and decides to explore the land beyond the river where his tribe live. There are plenty of dangers our there, including stock footage dinosaurs from One Million BC and Unknown Island, a pack of wild dogs and, best of all, a very strange looking "monster" that turns out to be a man in a radiation suit. We then learn that after a nuclear war, this part of the World went back to Prehistoric times.Being made in the Atomic Age, this movie show was yet another theory what people thought could have happened in the event of any nuclear war. At the end, we also get to briefly see clips from other AIP movies including The She Creature.The cast includes a young Robert Vaughn (The Man From UNCLE, The Magnificent Severn, Hustle) and sci-fi B movie regulars Jonathan Haze (Little Shop of Horrors, It Conquered the World), Ed Nelson (The Brain Eaters) and Robert Shayne (The Neanderthal Man, The Giant Claw).Teenage Caveman is a good way to spend just over an hour one afternoon or evening. Low budget fun.Rating: 3 stars out of 5.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :- I still wonder..., 17 November 2004 Author: sheenafilm from Hamburg, Germany
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
Movies about the stone age are - with the honourable exception of Annaud's "Quest of Fire" - usually rather silly. Think of comedies like "Caveman" with Ringo Starr, monster movies like "One Million Years B.C." with Raquel Welch, or the unfortunate "Clan of the Cave Bear" with Daryl Hannah. The much older b/w flick "Teenage Caveman" was a real surprise therefore, remarkably ambitious for a B movie. Young Robert Vaughn, a few years before "The Magnificent Seven", stars as a caveman who is challenging the elders of the tribe by trespassing the forbidden lands beyond the river. In their belief, the cave people must stay near their cave; they shall neither cross the river nor the desert, because their forefathers left the "Word". Vaughn is restless, after his first trip to the forbidden lands he repeatedly says "I still wonder..." and takes a second trip there. The elders decide the penalty for breaking the law twice must be death, and send a hunting party after him. What they all discover in the land beyond the river is however not what the Word of the forefathers said... (oh, it's hard sometimes to write a spoiler-free review and don't tell too much!) "Teenage Caveman" has an unusual philosophical edge to it, asking questions like "why are we here" and "what is beyond our world", and it makes clear that curiosity and restlessness are the driving forces for mankind's progress. Vaughn's Caveman is not satisfied with the answers the elders give him, he says "I still wonder...", and shouldn't we too sometimes? Only annoying point is the monster scenes, as the cheapo lizards (I refuse to call them dinosaurs) seem to be cut in between from different movies.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :- It's like an old Twilight Zone episode, 19 April 1999 Author: Proph from California
Strangely, I liked this movie. Okay: low budget, bad acting, cheesy spliced-in scenes from other "dinosaur" movies. Yet there is something innocent and compelling about it -- Roger Corman in his naive and earnest phase. It reminds me very much of the old Twilight Zone series (because of the ending). Just imagine Rod Serling saying, "For your consideration, a group of prehistoric cave dwellers ..." and you will truly enjoy this odd little film.
5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :- So bad you have to watch it, 25 February 1999 Author: John Firth (johnafirth@gmail.com) from Newcastle, England
This is so bad it's good. Unlike Troma, this film doesn't mean to be bad, it just is. The acting is atrocious, the effects are dire, and as for the dialogue...Let's just say that this must be watched, just so you know how not to make a caveman film.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :- Pretty goofy, but not entirely worthless, 22 October 2006 Author: lemon_magic from Wavy Wheat, Nebraska
"Teenage Cavemen" was obviously intended to be a cheapo "exploitation" film (in the manner of "I was A Teenage Werewolf" and "I Was A Teenage Frankenstein") and indeed, its origins as a Corman "3 Day Wonder" are obvious - it's so shabbily made and so obviously hacked out that it barely holds together as a movie at all. But still, there is just a bit of an edge to this one, a little more depth and interest.I've always liked Robert ("Man From UNCLE") Vaughn. He's a fine,if limited, actor who manages to pack a certain sinister, vulpine energy and intelligence into even the silliest and most badly conceived parts. (I don't blame him for "Superman III", either - he did what he could with that one). His presence adds an extra point to the ratings, since he is obviously a 'real' actor, even in this early role. However, the "teenage caveman" role is not a role that calls for these qualities, so this is a pretty tough part for him. With his narrow, refined features, skinny physique and elegant hairstyle, he looks less like a caveman - or a teenager, for that matter - than almost any male actor over 25 you can name. And the script makes him (and everyone else) talk in the affected, unconvincing, plodding Pidgin English speech that all "primitives" in movies seem to use, and these lines are incredibly unconvincing coming from this obviously civilized and educated person. I'll give him this, though - in spite of the affected dialog and speech mannerisms he is forced to adopt, Vaughn does a decent job of portraying the restlessness, unhappiness and chafing of an original "thinker" trying to escape the confines of a closed traditional society. And even though the special effects, scenery, costumes, dialog and acting are all badly underpowered, and the use of borrowed stock footage is really jarring and annoying, the movie does manage to incorporate a sense of youth vs. authority, tradition vs. innovation, and yes, a puzzle with a "surprise twist" at the end which actually sort of works. ***SPOILER FOLLOWS*** By this I mean that the post-apocalyptic denouement actually does play fair with the viewer within the limits of the film, and the ending does give me a little shudder, even now.Like most Corman movies, this one is mostly of historical interest, but it does pack a bit more punch than most of his output, even if only by accident.
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :- Poor production values hamper this 'camp' genre picture., 29 October 1998 Author: bux from Tecumseh ok
Made in the 50s to cash in on the unexpected success of the "I Was a Teenage.......", this entry at least dared to be different. Corman shows promise in this early directoral effort, and the story does have a neat twist at the end (if you make it that far), All that said, the slow, dragging plot and the non-existent production values make it a chore to watch. Notable also for an early screen appearance of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." Robert Vaughn.
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :- Teenage Caveman (1958) *, 18 October 2006 Author: JoeKarlosi from U.S.A.
Even dependable ace director Roger Corman wasn't able to turn this dud into something steadily worth watching. It stars THE MAN FROM UNCLE's Robert Vaughn as a 26-year-old "boy" who defies his tribe's law by daring to venture forth "beyond the river" to the other side, where he is met by quicksand and a few silly creatures. It's an hour or so of tedium, but we do get a hearty laugh in seeing Robert Shayne looking ridiculous as a bearded caveman in sheepskin and sporting a Shemp Howard haircut.The ending of the film is at least interesting, though it's not worth the trip to make it that far.
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :- caveman from u.n.c.l.e., 1 July 2006 Author: vampi1960 from United States
As a Roger Corman fan this one was a must see.Robert Vaughn who was later to star on TVs man from u.n.c.l.e.plays the title role of a rebellious youth who dares questions the laws of the tribe.there's plenty of stock footage from; one million bc(1940)with the big lizards with fins glued on their backs.but there's a surprise ending.the more recent movie; the village(2004)seems to borrow from this.teenage caveman was originally titled;prehistoric world,but American international wanted to cash in on their other 2 movies teenage werewolf and teenage franken- stein which were both hits.f-troop star frank DeKova also stars.this is on a double feature DVD with viking women and the sea serpent,another corman flick.Roger Corman had a way of making entertaining movies on low budgets.I'm giving it 6 out of 10.
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :- One of Corman's worst films, and that's saying something!, 25 July 1999 Author: (otter_c@ix.netcom.com) from Mountain View, Ca.
Made in two days, and even worse than you'd expect. It's not just bad, cheap, and miscast; it's really, really pretentious as well! It's about youthful rebellion and the horrors of atomic war, and the scriptwriter thinks it's all really deep, you know, heavy, man! (sound of snapping fingers)Starring a young Robert Vaughn as a cave man, every hair slicked down and combed into place, looking like the "Man From UNCLE" in a fur dress and booties. Also features one of the worst monsters ever seen on screen.Go see the original "Little Shop of Horrors" again to prove that a movie made in two days can actually be good!
2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :- Overlooked b-gem from Corman and Co., 1 March 2004 Author: funkyfry from Oakland CA
This film, whose true name is not "Teenage Cave Man" but rather "The Prehistoric World", was released by AIP under said name to exploit the success of its own "I Was a Teenage...." series of films (which were actually produced by Herman Cohen in England). Viewed entirely on its own merits, this little film has a lot to offer, even beyond some of the obvious camp humor.There is some intriguing sci-fi here, most of which I won't give away for fear of *****SPOILERS***** giving away too much, but some of which definately predate and prefigure "Planet of the Apes" as Corman himself points out in his autobio. Robert Vaughn does a good job here, once more showing the strength of performance that should have made him another Robert Stack, rather than another John Saxon. There is a strong anti-establishment subtext in the film which definately places it just ahead of its time in prefiguring the political "message" sci-fi of the late 60s. Ignoring the cheap effects and some of the less accomplished actors in the film may result in a less entertaining viewing, but may reveal a film of greater depth than your typical saturday morning b.
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