Am Anfang war das Feuer

Annaud's vision of prehistory is what it most likely was - harsh, unkempt, uncompromising, and cruel. His precise direction, together with the work of the utmost concentrated actors, who had to make do with basic sound and expression instead of words, create an absolutely unique and unrepeatable atmosphere. In it, in addition to the simple plot, there is also room for a few lighter moments, through a few poetically-tuned sequences to absolutely fascinating experiences, among which I must definitely count the encounter with a herd of mammoths. An unusual but all the more impressive viewing experience! (22.10.2006)

"Hotra! Hotra!" Hard to live without fire. Even for an individual, let alone a clan. A parable where you can easily turn off your brain and enjoy purely as an adventure movie. But you’ll be robbing yourself of a lot. The production design is simply amazing; especially the locations. After all, they filmed in Canada, Scotland, Iceland and Kenyan national parks. Wonderful camera and music, which plays a bigger role here than you might think the first time you hear it. And seriously, can a movie where you wait with bated breath even when they are simply trying to kindle the fire possibly be bad? Especially when one of the main heroes laughs exactly like our Little Caveman. (24.01.2008)

A must-see, if only because something like this may never be made again. Annaud, for me, is one of the best directors, he has the uncanny gift of never making a bad film, and this case is proof of that. An extremely simple and straightforward plot oriented solely on the actors and their grunts, great prehistoric atmosphere and a number of impressive scenes from the opening bloodshed to the almost mystical encounter with a herd of mammoths. Moreover, it has an excellent McGill and Ron Perlman, who were really good in their roles. While I believe there's a lot more that could be extracted from the premise, at least in this day and age, Quest for Fire is a must-see film whose pages will never completely turn yellow. 80% (21.03.2013)

It's a cinematic experience you don't get to experience on screen too many times. After all, it's an experimental film, but at the same time, it's a film that wants to tell some basic story and also wants to show how much we were once connected to nature and animals. It's like it's a different species, like we've long forgotten about this. Which is a shame. But Annaud made a great film. (21.05.2017)