This is one of those films that I just really love. I think it's because it comes from such a completely different era. One that really shows just how much culture has managed to shift throughout the past three decades. Encino Man wasn't even a film considered a success financially or with the critics. It's a film that had stars of its time featured but ones that never quite managed to stick around to maintain their popularity, only recently did Brendan Fraser resurface a bit and make a decent comeback with his performance within The Whale. Pauly Shore went from being a massive pop culture star and essentially the King of MTV (so much so that his acting career was basically him just playing his character over and over again) to inevitably sizzling out of relevancy and never quite making that comeback. Sean Astin? He's had his moments here and there, but again nothing that has led to him staying within the public eye. It's not just the people within the film that show how much the times have changed, though. It's the concept of simple narratives and the world of comedy which have both unfortunately died.
I mean, really, a film about a caveman that comes back to life after his block of ice melts, leading to him being trained to the modern world and its expectations by two teenagers? Even today this concept has great chances of generating a hit. With such a simple structure to its narrative: the setup, the fun, the problem, and the solving of that problem. Is there really much of a question as to why we return to such films when they hold such easy concepts that manage to grab our attention, feeling almost timeless up until so much time has passed since its release that the world we now live in seems almost unrecognisable to the one we watch on the screen? To add, such films (especially with these comedic concepts) hold a lot of depth regarding the sub cultures that were once more prevalent within society, something that has felt more and more lost as globalisation continues and everyone is sort of the same. Though, there are some strong signs as of late that the pendulum is swinging to the other side, and people are finding more interest in these various sub cultures. Searching for other forms of identity.
While I have mentioned the general plot already: a caveman ends up melting and coming back to life. The story surrounds itself more on the cultural side of the Californian lifestyle. It's less about the caveman that has returned to the world but more about the oddities of the younger generations and the world they've crafted for themselves. The silliness in the standards they have. The fragility of the high school environment and how everyone is trying to one-up the other. It's as much about the survival of the characters of that era, and how they attempt to get by, with our caveman as the audience member that has been thrown into their world and forced to adapt as they learn and figure things out. I've never really seen the film in this manner before, it's quite strange that only now I have decided to look at it under such a different tone. Now, this is far from a serious film, while it may have some intent on shining light at the chaotic youthful environment, it's not doing so with some major meaningful thoughts to throw out.
At the same time for a comedy film it is funny that one of the most strangest events to happen to mankind happens to some of the dumbest groups, leading to them dealing with it in their own way. Finding a way to introduce that natural oddity into the modern world through culture and kindness. It's a funny film for sure, and removing that whole concept of time and the shifting of culture, there's no surprise that it did become quite a cult classic. Especially with the performance from peak Fraser at the time. And with Pauly Shore's unique characteristics that screams of the 1980s and early 90s as identity and expression really started to rise alongside media. Especially with how the concept of the blockbuster film was still somewhat new, with Steven Spielberg and James Cameron having dropped some of the most influential titles in cinema history a few years prior.
With it being a cult classic, I think it really is down to the time and the cast. While I said that the film could easily be something that is made today, the cast definitely is the icing on the cake. The people that really sell the film. I saw that Ben Stiller was originally considered for the caveman, and there's a video up on Pauly Shore's YouTube channel which shows a few casting tests featuring him and the others. And here I thought I'd be jumping into the film for yet another rewatch just to enjoy the silliness!
