Today’s Prayer Focus

Early Man

also known as “El cavernícola,” “A Idade da Pedra,” “Cavernícola,” “Cro Man,” See all »

MPA Rating: PG-Rating (MPA)

for rude humor and some action.

Moral Rating:	not reviewed
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:	Family
Genre:	Animation Family Comedy Adventure
Length:	1 hr. 29 min.
Year of Release:	2018
USA Release:	February 16, 2018 (wide—2,494 theaters) DVD: May 22, 2018

Relevant Issues

Does the Evolutionists’ idea of “cavemen” fit with the Bible? Answer

What was Adam, the first man, really like? Discover the fascinating facts about this unique man from whom we are all descended! Answer

Are caves and people living in caves mentioned in the Bible? Answer

Top choice for accurate, in-depth information on Creation/Evolution. The SuperLibrary is provided by a top team of experts from various respected creationist organizations who answer your questions on a wide variety of topics. Multilingual.

Who’s who and what’s what in the world of “missing” links? Answer

Is there fossil evidence of “missing links” between humans and apes? Did ancient humans live millions of years ago? Answer

ORIGIN OF ETHNIC PEOPLE GROUPS—How could all ethnicities come from Noah, his three sons and their wives? Answer

Dinosaurs

Visit our dinosaur-size Web site where you’ll discover a mountain of knowledge and amazing discoveries. How do dinosaurs fit into the Bible? You’ll find the answer to this and many more of your questions. Play games, browse and learn. Includes many helps for teachers and parents.

DINOSAUR ORIGIN—Where did the dinosaurs come from? Answer

Are dinosaurs mentioned in the BIBLE? Answer

WHY did God create dinosaurs? Answer

LIVING WITH DINOSAURS—What would it have been like to live with dinosaurs? Answer

EXTINCTION—Why did dinosaurs become extinct? Answer

NOAH’S ARK—Did Noah take dinosaurs on the Ark? Answer

DINOSAURS AFTER THE FLOOD—Following the Flood, what happened to dinosaurs? Answer

Featuring	Tom Hiddleston … Lord Nooth (voice) Eddie Redmayne … Dug (voice) Maisie Williams … Goona (voice) Timothy Spall … Chief Bobnar (voice) Richard Ayoade … Treebor (voice) Mark Williams … Barry (voice) Miriam Margolyes … Queen Oofeefa (voice) Nick Park … Hognob (voice) Rob Brydon … Message Bird / Brian / Bryan (voice) Kayvan Novak … Dino (voice) Johnny Vegas … Asbo (voice) Selina Griffiths … Magma (voice) See all » Simon Greenall … Eemak / Thongo / Additional Voices (voice) Gina Yashere … Gravelle (voice) Luke Walton … Huggelgrabber (voice) Kevin Matadeen … Crowd (voice) Ben Whitehead … Additional Voices (voice) Richard Webber … Grubup (voice)
Director	Nick Park — “Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit”
Producer	Aardman Animations StudioCanal See all » Richard Beek Alicia Gold Ron Halpern Peter Lord Didier Lupfer Nick Park Danny Perkins Ben Roberts Carla Shelley David Sproxton Natascha Wharton
Distributor	Lionsgate (Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.)

Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures and woolly mammoths roamed the earth, ‘Early Man’ tells the story of Dug, along with sidekick Hognob as they unite his tribe against a mighty enemy Lord Nooth and his Bronze Age City to save their home.

Plucky caveman Dug, along with his sidekick Hognob, unites his tribe against the mighty Bronze Age in a battle to beat them at their own game and saves the day.”

Does the Evolutionists’ idea of “cavemen” fit with the Bible? Answer

What was Adam, the first man, really like? Discover the fascinating facts about this unique man from whom we are all descended! Answer

Volunteer reviewer needed for this movie

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.

Negative

Negative—I was not impressed with this movie. There were multiple things that should have been left out. The bathroom humor got old really fast, and there were too many screens with men in the bath tub or the shower. Nothing was shown, but the other men that saw the naked bodies always looked down there. Save your money and time.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Very Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½

Sarah, age 36 (USA)

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

Secular Movie Critics

…a gloriously funny tale of stone-age stragglers… The miracle of great stop-motion has always been that the films look loved. As you watch Early Man, you can feel it. [4/5]

Robbie Collin, The Telegraph [UK]

…a strong retro vibe tints the entire film. That’s especially true of the humor in the script by Mark Burton and James Higginson, based on a story by Burton and Park, which shamelessly recycles gags from assorted inspirations, from The Flintstones, classic Ealing comedies, Carry On movies and, above all, Park’s own impeccable filmography…

Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter

…a very funny trip to the past… I’m a little sorry that this utterly silly feature from Nick Park and Aardman Animations was not around when I was 7 or 8 years old… Mr. Park has essentially remade “Apocalypto” but with soccer instead of human sacrifice, “Braveheart” with a giant stop-motion duck. …

A.O. Scott, The New York Times

…gently amusing …showcases Nick Park's offbeat humor… The film's setting makes for site-specific jokes, such as one character chastising another, “You haven't eaten your primordial soup,” but also allows for a plot that gently passes on contemporary lessons about the value of fairness, inclusion and cooperation. …

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

…while Early Man zips along and has plenty of laughs, it’s neither as charming as Wallace and Gromit at their best nor as inspired a twist on a formula as Chicken Run. It’s an entertaining distraction, but not quite the all-conquering return for Nick Park we’d hoped for. [3/5]

Jonathan Pile,·Empire [UK]

…feels so utterly disposable. All the hallmarks of the animator's inimitable style are here: the cute-ugly character designs, fastidious attention to detail, and ability to coax subtle yet highly expressive performances out of lumps of plasticine. But here they're put in service of a flat, formulaic narrative that displays only flashes of Park's typical offbeat inventiveness. … [2½/4]

Keith Watson, Slant

…Aardman hits the crossbar with a prehistoric footballing caper that has a big heart but a bit less than the usual genius… [3/5]

Phil De Semlyen, Time Out London

…“Early Man” checks all the boxes you’d expect from an animated picture targeted at kids—the correct messages about teamwork and perseverance, a giggling commitment to slapstick. But in comparison to other stop-motion works by Nick Park…“Early Man” is wanting: of a cleverer narrative, of memorable characters. It’s not bad, necessarily. It just feels like an early draft of a better movie to come. [2½/5]

Kimberley Jones, The Austin Chronicle