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Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Cave of Forgotten Dreams Image
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Metascore
86 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 34 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 32 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: For over 20,000 years, Chauvet Cave has been completely sealed off by a fallen rock face, its crystal-encrusted interior as large as a football field and strewn with the petrified remains of giant ice age mammals. In 1994, scientists discovered the caverns, and found hundreds of pristine paintings within, spectacular artwork dating back over 30,000 years (almost twice as old as any previous finds) to a time when Neanderthals still roamed the earth and cave bears, mammoths, and ice age lions were the dominant populations of Europe. Since then, only a handful of specialists have stepped foot in the cave, and the true scope of its contents had largely gone unfelt—until Werner Herzog managed to gain access. Filming in 3D, Herzog captures the wonder and beauty of one of the most awe-inspiring sites on earth, all the while musing in his inimitable fashion about its original inhabitants, the birth of art, and the curious people surrounding the caves today. (IFC Films) … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    Apr 29, 2011
    100
    Director Werner Herzog's latest cinematic mind trip blows you away with its beauty.
  2. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    Apr 29, 2011
    100
    These paintings speak to us; they both compress and elongate time. In Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Herzog is reaching for ways to comprehend what he imagines to be the emblems of the birth of the modern soul.
  3. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Joshua Rothkopf
    Apr 26, 2011
    60
    Cave of Forgotten Dreams feels stuck in a middling zone of too much conjecture and not enough scholarship.

See all 34 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 13
  3. Negative: 3 out of 13
  1. GGordonLiddy
    10
    I was breathless at some of the sights in this movie...it was a 3D screening and, in addition to my 3d glasses, I admit I had a few glasses of wine before...but this is more gold from Herzog. It seemed the theatre was taking on a whole new purpose as we were all transported and given access to the cave via his vision. Thank you!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. Ziziltibs
    4
    Fascinating visuals and stunning artwork. Even seeing them 20 times in the film, the images don't fail to amaze and delight. The zum-zum music and repetitive metaphysical speculations do, though. The film is way too long, and the postscript is truly bizarre. It detracts from the overall experience.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. Ando
    3
    The best way I could describe this movie is that it's an interesting glimpse at something that most people will never have access to, that required about 10 minutes of film, but was unfortunately produced into a full length film. The film we get is padded-out with commentary and repeat after repeat of the same shots of the cave paintings, that it manages to kill what made it interesting to start with. Awful music, no real direction, and an unnecessary postscript made me wish that I'd only watched the trailer.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 13 User Reviews

Trailers

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