Quest for Fire

Play trailer

Quest for Fire

R

1981

1h 37m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In the prehistoric world, a Cro-Magnon tribe depends on an ever-burning source of fire, which eventually extinguishes. Lacking the knowledge to start a new fire, the tribe sends three warriors (Everett McGill, Ron Perlman, Nameer El-Kadi) on a quest for more. With the tribe's future at stake, the warriors make their way across a treacherous landscape full of hostile tribes and monstrous beasts. On their journey, they encounter Ika (Rae Dawn Chong), a woman who has the knowledge they seek.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Its characters can't do much more than grunt, but that doesn't keep Quest for Fire from offering a deeply resonant -- and surprisingly funny -- look at the beginning of the human race.

Read Critics Reviews

Dwight Brown

Sepia

08/10/2022

[An] innovative work.

Go to Full Review

Bob Thomas

Associated Press

10/22/2018

Quest for Fire contains a uniqueness rarely seen in the homogenous product of today's film industry.

Go to Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

03/26/2009

An engaging prehistoric yarn that happily never degenerates into a club and lion skin spinoff of Star Wars and resolutely refuses to bludgeon the viewer with facile or gratuitous effects.

Go to Full Review

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

03/09/2024

3/4

If the viewer is able to buy into some of the more ridiculous aspects of the movie and cope with the absence of intelligible dialogue, Quest for Fire emerges as an engaging adventure film.

Go to Full Review

Phil Edwards

Starburst

07/28/2022

A movie so rich in entertainment and genuine emotion which seems to race through its hundred minute running time like an express train.

Go to Full Review

Larry Vitacco

Philadelphia Gay News

05/27/2020

4/4

Quest For Fire is thrilling and awesome in its individual and collective achievements.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

canoeman1961 T

@RT91925226 Apr 21

Although the film conjectures on interactions of species at that time, recent anthropology has shown that a greater likelihood of such interactions and hominid variants around that time could be closer to the how the film portrayed them. This is refreshing, since I absolutely loved the film and its boldness to try and piece together a society that was so removed from ours.

See more

Andrew Y

@RT62397389 02/22/2024

Think, Bristol - circa 1978……..

See more

KUSH 2

@RT35791063 02/21/2024

great movie about pre humans

See more

Alec B

@Alec97 01/10/2024

The plot is actually fairly predictable however you do have to admire the effort that when into this and the bold choice of having no intelligible dialogue for the entire movie.

See more

dan b

@jbutler53 06/24/2022

it was one of the dumbest movies I have ever seen, like a cult type movie, I spent 3.99 I think, just to watch them jump around and grunt, funny but dumb

See more

11/21/2021

Best caveman movie. If you like caveman stuff then it's 5/5. If you don't like caveman stuff then don't watch it. doi.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Jean-Jacques Annaud

Director

Everett McGill

Naoh

Rae Dawn Chong

Ika

Ron Perlman

Amoukar

Nicholas Kadi

Gaw

Gary Schwartz

Rouka

El Norte

92%

82%

El Norte

Watchlist

Brubaker

74%

74%

Brubaker

Watchlist

Whose Life Is It Anyway?

70%

79%

Whose Life Is It Anyway?

Watchlist

Knightriders

81%

61%

Knightriders

Watchlist

The Star Chamber

77%

43%

The Star Chamber

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

In the prehistoric world, a Cro-Magnon tribe depends on an ever-burning source of fire, which eventually extinguishes. Lacking the knowledge to start a new fire, the tribe sends three warriors (Everett McGill, Ron Perlman, Nameer El-Kadi) on a quest for more. With the tribe's future at stake, the warriors make their way across a treacherous landscape full of hostile tribes and monstrous beasts. On their journey, they encounter Ika (Rae Dawn Chong), a woman who has the knowledge they seek.

Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Belstar Productions, International Cinema Corporation (ICC), Stéphan Films
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 12, 1981, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Surround