Cave of Forgotten Dreams

The idea of Werner Herzog making a 3D movie might seem strange, but the prolific German filmmaker's Cave of Forgotten Dreams is anything but a gimmick. Given extremely limited access inside France's Chauvet Cave, Herzog and his tiny crew document the site's famous, 30,000 year old cave paintings. The 3D effects bring an astonishing realism to the amazingly fresh markings, as the prehistoric paintings seem to bend and twist with every change in the cave wall. The rest of the film tours through the world of modern archaeology, which in typical Herzog fashion becomes a meditation on what defines humanity. Such musings might wear thin for some, but the time inside the silent, alien-like cave, where paintings of extinct creatures seem to come to life, remains a powerful film-going experience. –Jacob Boon