At first, I rather raked this movie for having a short sighted view of things when, even back in 1999, we realized the different capabilities of the modern and hunter-gatherer (for lack of better terms) mind, those who were good with animals, and the like. Thinking about it a few days after watching the movie, maybe that was exactly what the underlying theme was, of science where we think we know all the answers versus understanding nature as an art. A downside to the movie making is the tagline, "My Father was a Caveman!" for that ridicules much of the intense feeling this movie communicates. The movie does require that one puts aside science as they have learned it at some points or, at least, be more understanding of the limbic nervous system. It is not Sci Fi with technology, much, but it is a Sci Fi movie for it asks the question "What if?".
7 Reviews
What a novel concept, "Bronze Age Boy" has unusual abilities, but story falls way short.
TxMike13 January 2001
Warning: Spoilers
My wife and I were in a "USA Original Movie", so I have a special fondness for these, usually made on a tight budget and shooting schedule. "Evolution's Child" presents a very novel premise - sperm from a frozen 3000-yr-old man from the Bronze Age is taken for DNA study. Strictly accidentally it is used for an 'in vitro' fertilization, and the mix-up isn't discovered until the mother is several months pregnant, too late to do anything. From this start, the film could have gone in a variety of different directions.
Turns out the frozen man was an ancient "doctor", perhaps a Shaman. The young boy, conveniently named "Adam", shows multiple antibodies in his bloodstream - small pox, bubonic plague, rabies - that could only be explained by his heredity, although I didn't think those sorts of things could be passed on this way. He also has visions, and hears sounds, of the ancient way of life. He has an unusual ability to communicate with animals - the gaze of a cat, a "whistle" sound that can attract fish, or calm fighting dogs. He "heals" a lady's headache by touching her temple.
For a while it looks like only the doctor involved will know the truth. However, his office and computer hard-drive are robbed, and soon the whole world finds out, and want to study the boy. So the doctor runs away with Adam, to try and protect both of them.
CAUTION -- SPOILERS FOLLOW -- Adam gets very sick from a common virus. His system cannot fight it off and he becomes gravely ill. (I don't know why he didn't get immunity from his mom??) The doctor is sorry for never telling the parents, everyone is sad, the boy tells his parents he loves them, he dies, the doctor gets arrested,
I feel the script took the easy way out. It would have been much more difficult to handle his surviving and growing old with his interesting powers, but also much more interesting, and perhaps much, much longer. Imagine how it would have been if the "Superman" series had been handled this way, if the young Clark Kent had died. This concept could easily have been taken all the way as a series of films, or perhaps a new TV series. Oh, well...
Pretty good film, that falls way short of its potential, I rate it "4" of 10 for concept.
Turns out the frozen man was an ancient "doctor", perhaps a Shaman. The young boy, conveniently named "Adam", shows multiple antibodies in his bloodstream - small pox, bubonic plague, rabies - that could only be explained by his heredity, although I didn't think those sorts of things could be passed on this way. He also has visions, and hears sounds, of the ancient way of life. He has an unusual ability to communicate with animals - the gaze of a cat, a "whistle" sound that can attract fish, or calm fighting dogs. He "heals" a lady's headache by touching her temple.
For a while it looks like only the doctor involved will know the truth. However, his office and computer hard-drive are robbed, and soon the whole world finds out, and want to study the boy. So the doctor runs away with Adam, to try and protect both of them.
CAUTION -- SPOILERS FOLLOW -- Adam gets very sick from a common virus. His system cannot fight it off and he becomes gravely ill. (I don't know why he didn't get immunity from his mom??) The doctor is sorry for never telling the parents, everyone is sad, the boy tells his parents he loves them, he dies, the doctor gets arrested,
I feel the script took the easy way out. It would have been much more difficult to handle his surviving and growing old with his interesting powers, but also much more interesting, and perhaps much, much longer. Imagine how it would have been if the "Superman" series had been handled this way, if the young Clark Kent had died. This concept could easily have been taken all the way as a series of films, or perhaps a new TV series. Oh, well...
Pretty good film, that falls way short of its potential, I rate it "4" of 10 for concept.
I agree mostly with the other reviewers' high ratings. A good solid, low-key Sci Fi Telefilm...
lathe-of-heaven10 April 2020
I was surprised to see that this has only a 5.1 rating, when the people who bothered to write reviews, although stating some complaints, still gave it pretty high ratings (most of the 5 showing now give it an '8')
Whenever I write reviews here, no matter what type of movie, I always state that to me the very MOST important factor in rating a film is, 'Is it made well?' And, quite honestly in this case I feel that it is. Usually, with movies like this that have heavy Dramatic elements, many times I cringe at how overdone and overwrought they usually are. And, I was quite surprised that the acting for the most part actually was pretty good. The main doctor and the boy of course standing out very strongly in their roles. The parents were okay, but fairly average.
Now, this has absolutely NOTHING to do with the movie, and I apologize, but I just hafta say, I was REALLY pining in my heart for way Susan Gibney used to look in her lovely role in STAR TREK: TNG. I mean, to me anyway, she was absolutely stunning! FWIW, I usually don't get too worked up over most actresses. But, WOW! In her role in TNG as Geordi's love interest Dr. Leah Brahms I felt that she was shockingly beautiful! But, alas here in this film... thus the 'pining' part... she didn't look at all the same. She was rail thin and anorexic looking, quite the extreme opposite as she looked in Star Trek. Oh well...
Anyway, back to the movie, sorry... : )
I was honestly impressed by how well the story was told. The primitive soundtrack also really enhanced the mood of the film. I truly felt that, given this basically pretty simple USA Telefilm material, the director did a really good job in putting it together. And, given that I normally don't care very much for the more Dramatic elements, still, I thought that he elicited the best performances out of the actors (I was especially impressed with the boy - Nice and understated. VERY rare with child actors) and I thought that he handled the emotional scenes rather decently rather than overdoing them in an amateurishly heavy-handed way.
At the end (which of course I will not tell you about) I think that the audience feels that the story was told very well and in a satisfying way. A very 'Human' Science Fiction theme, but one told in what I felt was an intriguing and involving way...
Again, a fairly simple story, but despite what some said, the dialog, acting, mood, and pacing are indeed executed very well. Far above average, certainly for a USA Telefilm...
Whenever I write reviews here, no matter what type of movie, I always state that to me the very MOST important factor in rating a film is, 'Is it made well?' And, quite honestly in this case I feel that it is. Usually, with movies like this that have heavy Dramatic elements, many times I cringe at how overdone and overwrought they usually are. And, I was quite surprised that the acting for the most part actually was pretty good. The main doctor and the boy of course standing out very strongly in their roles. The parents were okay, but fairly average.
Now, this has absolutely NOTHING to do with the movie, and I apologize, but I just hafta say, I was REALLY pining in my heart for way Susan Gibney used to look in her lovely role in STAR TREK: TNG. I mean, to me anyway, she was absolutely stunning! FWIW, I usually don't get too worked up over most actresses. But, WOW! In her role in TNG as Geordi's love interest Dr. Leah Brahms I felt that she was shockingly beautiful! But, alas here in this film... thus the 'pining' part... she didn't look at all the same. She was rail thin and anorexic looking, quite the extreme opposite as she looked in Star Trek. Oh well...
Anyway, back to the movie, sorry... : )
I was honestly impressed by how well the story was told. The primitive soundtrack also really enhanced the mood of the film. I truly felt that, given this basically pretty simple USA Telefilm material, the director did a really good job in putting it together. And, given that I normally don't care very much for the more Dramatic elements, still, I thought that he elicited the best performances out of the actors (I was especially impressed with the boy - Nice and understated. VERY rare with child actors) and I thought that he handled the emotional scenes rather decently rather than overdoing them in an amateurishly heavy-handed way.
At the end (which of course I will not tell you about) I think that the audience feels that the story was told very well and in a satisfying way. A very 'Human' Science Fiction theme, but one told in what I felt was an intriguing and involving way...
Again, a fairly simple story, but despite what some said, the dialog, acting, mood, and pacing are indeed executed very well. Far above average, certainly for a USA Telefilm...
Extremely Good
kari_faye21 October 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This was a very good movie. Excellent, brilliant. Definitely a must-see and a must-buy film. If you happen to see it in a shop buy it, if it comes on TV watch it. Jacob Smith acts very well in it. Amazing!!
This movie is about a young boy who has special powers due to the way in which he was conceived. One man understands him and befriends him, trying to save him against the world and trying to protect his innocence. His parents however do not understand him and so the story begins.
Jacob Smith does an amazing performance. Defiently a great child star in the making. Something you will never forget. He brings a great deal to this movie and makes it what it is.
Sad movie, bring tissues when you watch it.
This movie is about a young boy who has special powers due to the way in which he was conceived. One man understands him and befriends him, trying to save him against the world and trying to protect his innocence. His parents however do not understand him and so the story begins.
Jacob Smith does an amazing performance. Defiently a great child star in the making. Something you will never forget. He brings a great deal to this movie and makes it what it is.
Sad movie, bring tissues when you watch it.
Poor script, great movie
Cookie2419 May 2000
Okay, so what can you expect from the USA network? Still, the idea was great and the storyline was good. I think the script, however, should have been better written. There's too much talking and not enough doing. You have to pay close attention to the words or you could miss details that they don't show you. The movie does jump a lot in the beginning. One second, the Cordells are in a clinic and in the next scene, she's miraculously pregnant. Sit tight and tape it if possible so when you say, 'What?' at a scene, you can just rewind it. All in all it's a good movie, especially about ten minutes from the ending. Strong performance by Heidi Swedberg, no longer the youthful and cocky Susan Ross from Seinfeld that we know and love. Also, congrats to little Jacob Smith. He was great at playing the part of Adam. See it when it comes on again.
The idea is brilliant, but it was made dull with the limited funds, imaginations and acting that make movies for the small screen what they are.
bluemagi4 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This (could have been) a wonderful film if it had been handled properly (like so many films, aye?) In fact, it would make a fantastic series, if they hadn't used the pat, "let's wrap it up quick sans imagination" ending that filmmakers usually use when they're out of their depth with their material. A woman is "mistakenly" impregnated with the sperm of a 3,000 year old corpse they found perfectly frozen in the mountains (opps! The cylinders got mixed up ... yeah, right), and the doctor is the only one who knows what the resulting child really is... and he watches in fascination as the baby grows to childhood and starts to exhibit all the signs of his father (whom, apparently, had been, not only a healer, but also the possessor of unusual "gifts," such as a healing touch and the ability to read the weather and talk to animals telepathically.) The little boy who plays "Adam" (sure, let's beat it to death with a stick, shall we?), Jacob Smith, is perfect for the role ... everybody else pretty much phones it in and are, therefore, largely forgettable. But for the boy and the (unfortunately prematurely terminated) possibilities of what we might have learned and recovered and rediscovered about our own latent healing abilities are as unsatisfyingly snuffed as is the kid. Quelle damage! I'd say watch it for Jacob, and let your imagine soar. That's about all you can hope for with this film.
Nifty made-for-TV movie
Woodyanders21 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Fertility expert Dr. James Mydell (a fine and likable performance by Ken Olin) accidentally impregnates Elaine Cordell (a warm and appealing portrayal by Heidi Swedberg) with the sperm of a 3,000 year old Bronze Age caveman. Elaine's son Adam (superbly played by the cute and endearing Jacob Smith) grows up to be a special little boy who can talk to the animals, predict the weather, and has mystical healing powers. How long can Mydell keep Adam's true origins a secret from his parents and the rest of the world? Director Jeffrey Reiner, working from a thoughtful, intelligent, and engrossing script by Walter Klenhard, wisely downplays lurid sensationalism, offers an interesting and provocative exploration of medical ethics, and makes the fantastic premise credible by firmly grounding it in a totally believable everyday world. This movie further benefits from sound acting from the able cast: Olin and Swedberg excel in their roles, Smith is simply remarkable as Adam, Taylor Nichols contributes an affable turn as Adam's dentist father Brian, plus there are sturdy supporting contributions by Susan Gibney as sultry professor Beth Lider, Christopher Gaze as the pragmatic, no-nonsense Dr. Linderhan, and Matthew Nielsen as Baby Adam. Feliks Parnell's crisp cinematography gives the picture an attractive glossy look. Vinny Golia's moody and thunderous score projects an appropriate throbbing tribal vibe. The ending is very tragic and poignant. Well worth seeing.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
