''Teenage Caveman'' is a 2002

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

- horror-

teen film Teen film is a film genre targeted at teenagers, preteens, or young adults by the plot being based on their special interests, such as coming of age, attempting to fit in, bullying, peer pressure, first love, teen rebellion, conflict with paren ...

directed by

controversial Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...

filmmaker Larry Clark. It was made as part of a series of low-budget made-for-television movies loosely inspired by B movies that Samuel Z. Arkoff had produced for AIP. The film reused the title and basic premise from the original 1958 film '' Teenage Caveman'', but it is not a remake of the earlier film.

Plot

The film is set in a

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...

future, where the vast majority of humanity has died due to a viral epidemic. The remaining humans have reverted to primitive tribalism. After killing his father for sexually assaulting his girlfriend, the son of a tribal leader is banished from the tribe, along with his friends. They eventually stumble upon a solar-powered city whose only two inhabitants are genetically modified to survive the plague. They view themselves as superhuman mutants who intend to recreate humanity in their own image.

Cast

* Andrew Keegan as David *

Tara Subkoff Tara Lyn Subkoff (born December 10, 1972) is an American actress, conceptual artist, director, and fashion designer. Subkoff made her film debut in the thriller '' When the Bough Breaks'' (1994) opposite Martin Sheen, and has had supporting role ...

as Sarah *

Richard Hillman Richard Charles Hillman is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Brian Capron. He first appeared on 20 June 2001 and became the show's main antagonist until his eventual departure on 14 March 2 ...

as Neil * Tiffany Limos as Judith *Stephen Jasso as Vincent *

Crystal Celeste Grant Crystal Celeste Grant (born September 20, 1980, in Houston, Texas) is a former American actress and singer. She is best known for roles in the films '' Teenage Caveman'' (2002) and ''Kids in America'' (2005). In television, she guest starred o ...

as Elizabeth *Shan Elliot as Joshua *Hayley Keenan as Heather *

Paul Hipp Paul Hipp (born July 16, 1963) is an American actor, singer, songwriter and filmmaker. Early life Paul Hipp was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in Warminster. He left Pennsylvania for New York City immediately after high school, st ...

as Shaman

Reception

The film received very mixed reviews from critics. Scott Thill of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' suggested to "grab some popcorn" and "kick back and laugh". Kim Newman of ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' gave the film a score of 3 out of 5 stars. When the

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

version of ''Teenage Caveman'' was released on June 10, 2016, Bill Chambers of Film Freak Central wrote: "Unfortunately, while

he film He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

is a testament to Clark's auteurist position, it establishes him as a filmmaker of limited range".

References

External links

* 2002 television films 2002 films 2000s science fiction horror films 2000s teen horror films Films directed by Larry Clark Patricide in fiction American post-apocalyptic films Remakes of American films Films about sexually transmitted diseases American monster movies American science fiction horror films Horror film remakes American teen horror films Juvenile sexuality in films American body horror films American science fiction television films 2000s American films {{US-tv-film-stub