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Quest for Fire

Play trailer Poster for 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.

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Quest for Fire

Quest for Fire

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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.

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Critics Reviews

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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

Audience Reviews

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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
Quest for Fire

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Jean-Jacques Annaud

Director

Everett McGill

Naoh

Rae Dawn Chong

Ika

Ron Perlman

Amoukar

Nicholas Kadi

Gaw

Gary Schwartz

Rouka

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Quest for Fire

Quest for Fire (1981) Quest for Fire (1981) View more photos

Movie Info

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