Screens of the Stone Age

Josh Lindal, Dr. Kimberly Plomp, and Dr. Ross Barnett
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Film Reviews
  • Updated Biweekly

The podcast where scientists review movies about prehistoric people! From The Flintstones to The Croods, from Iceman to Encino Man, from Year One to One Million Years BC, we dig into popular movies about the ancient past and sift the facts from the fiction. Hosts with expertise in archaeology, paleoanthropology, human evolution, paleontology, and paleogenetics take you behind the scenes to learn the truth about cave people like Neanderthals and Cro Magnons, and Pleistocene Megafauna like woolly mammoths and sabretooth cats. Plus, history movies, science fiction, pseudoarchaeology, and dinosaurs!

  1. 5d ago

    First Man (2017)

    First Man (2017) is a “documentary” with an interesting relationship to scientific facts and a disturbing view of human nature. It follows human evolution through four reconstructed ancestors: an early beta cuck ape from Spain; a Tate stan basal hominin from Chad; an ancestral alpha mogger from South Africa; and a brainmaxxing sigma arsonist from China. Join us as we break down the silly walks, unnecessarily blurred monkey g******s, and (content warning!) graphic sexual assault. Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: Pierolapithecus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierolapithecus Sahelanthropus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahelanthropus Gigantopithecus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantopithecus Sivapithecus/Ramapithecus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sivapithecus Paranthropus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranthropus Graecopithecus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graecopithecus Peking Man (Homo erectus): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_Man Harbin/Dragon Man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbin_cranium Our episode on Skullduggery (1970): https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-34-skullduggery-1970/ Our episode on Sasquatch Sunset (2024): https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-106-sasquatch-sunset-2024/ Grieving chimpanzee carries dead baby for months: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj4Wk-hujPY Zhoukoudian: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhoukoudian_Peking_Man_Site The myth of the alpha wolf: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-alpha-wolf-idea-a-myth/ Parsimony: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_parsimony Boma predator deterrent: https://news.mongabay.com/2017/09/keeping-lions-at-bay-to-keep-them-going/ Gao et al. (2017) Evidence of hominin use and maintenance of fire at Zhoukoudian: https://doi.org/10.1086/692501 Laughter in animals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter_in_animals Pusceddu et al. (2025) Animal medical systems from Apis to apes: history, recent advances and future perspectives: https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70060 Ventro-ventro position (doggy is not the only style): https://synapsida.blogspot.com/2015/12/doggy-is-not-only-style.html Man vs. horse races (horses have won): https://ultrarunninghistory.com/man-vs-horse/ Persistence hunting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting Aiello and Wheeler (1995) The Expensive-tissue hypothesis: The brain and the digestive system in human and primate evolution: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2744104 Wrangham (2009) Catching Fire: How Cooking Made us Human: https://heb.fas.harvard.edu/publication/catching-fire-how-cooking-made-us-human

  2. Jul 5

    In the Blink of an Eye (2026)

    They keep making them, so we keep reviewing them! In the Blink of an Eye (2026) tells the tragic tale of an adorably precocious child’s radicalization and eventual transformation into a billionaire tech bro who destroys the earth. It’s a triptych of past, present, and future, taking us from an endearing mixed race Neanderthal family, to Rashida Jones’ groundbreaking PhD research, to a genetically engineered sci-fi Kate McKinnon’s quest to find the next planet to destroy. It’s alright, I guess. Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: Longevity-obsessed tech billionaires: https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/11/health/kara-swisher-longevity-wellness Kepler 16b: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler-16b The ichnology of White Sands (New Mexico): Linear traces and human footprints, evidence of transport technology? https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qsa.2025.100274 RNA World: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA_world Hairdos in prehistory: https://richlyadorned.wordpress.com/2017/01/31/hairdos-in-prehistoric-europe/ How to order authors in scientific papers: https://wordvice.com/blog/journal-article-author-order/ How to format genus/species names: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d_5jDJvYwY Berger and Trinkaus (1995) Patterns of Trauma among the Neandertals: https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-4403(95)90013-6 The Divje Babe Flute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHXV07YCGKY Lawnmower RC Airplane: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SuZLxMIsN6k Neanderthals and ancient DNA: https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics/ancient-dna-and-neanderthals

  3. Jun 21

    Classic Caveman Cartoons (Part 2)

    Ehh, what’s up, doc? But in this case the “doc” is a PhD. Get it? Because we’re... Never mind, we’re back with more classic cartoons! As we move into the second half of the Twentieth Century the characters become more recognizable: Porky Pig, Mighty Mouse, Pink Panther, Woody Woodpecker – we ruin the fun of all these characters by trying to assess what species they are! (Oh wait, I should have said “what’s up, post-doc?”. I’ll keep workshopping it) (Part 2 of 2). Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop Cartoons featured in this episode: Springtime in the Rock Age (1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivk88NXvc_k Way Back When Women had their Weigh (1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUcPMfEGfeI Prehistoric Porky (1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK6quxW5pc0 Mighty Mouse – Prehistoric Perils (1952): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAdUiP_giPY Peabody's Improbable History S3E17 "The First Caveman" (1961): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1r5SZElTzQ   Pink Panther – Prehistoric Pink (1968): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io5oqdC_1co Pink Panther – Extinct Pink (1969): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y3lt2oWh_0 Prehistoric Super Salesman (1969): https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8imjrh Other Links: Meganeura: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meganeura Snail tape measure: https://yarn-fun.com/products/snail-tape-measure Black Panthers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther King Cheetah: https://www.reddit.com/r/Awwducational/comments/ga8css/king_cheetahs_are_variety_of_cheetahs_with_a_rare/ What’s Opera, Doc? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9doSQ1cHAw Bjorn Kurten’s Pleistocene Mammals of Europe: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315126470 Which big cats like catnip? https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/8td7ut/does_catnip_affect_wild_felines_the_same_way_it/ Do big cats like catnip? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEdpDl1hSz4 Oldest bows and arrows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_and_arrow#History Strawberry leopard: https://nypost.com/2019/08/20/rare-strawberry-leopard-photographed-in-south-africa/ Woody is an Ivory Billed Woodpecker: https://ivory-billedwoodpecker1.blogspot.com/2012/03/woody-woodpecker.html

  4. Jun 7

    Classic Caveman Cartoons (Part 1)

    Today we’re digging deep into the Stone Age of cinema and reviewing classic cartoons about prehistoric people. From the world’s first animated dinosaur to the advent of colour film, we watched cartoons featuring Felix the Cat, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Daffy Duck, a seriously copyright-infringing couple of mice, and a disturbing amount of sexual violence. (Part 1 of 2) Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop Cartoons featured in this episode: Gertie the Dinosaur (1914): https://youtu.be/32pzHWUTcPc Why they love cavemen (1921): https://youtu.be/5ikoWsHLicA Felix in the Bone Age (1922): https://youtu.be/97V_6O3iHbE Stone Age Stunts (1930): https://youtu.be/Ojdjl3VEnn4 The Stone Age – Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (1931): https://youtu.be/wqayvsVPnlo Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (1939): https://youtu.be/X2tgbncOoMk Other topics: Mr. DNA’s Science Lesson – Jurassic Park: https://youtu.be/1Uq5WSzUaTQ Microraptor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microraptor The Invention of Prehistory (2024) by Stefanos Geroulanos: https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324091455/ Anas rubripes, the American Black Duck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_black_duck Black Swedish duck: https://livestockconservancy.org/swedish-duck/ Sinclair Oil: https://www.sinclairoil.com/dino-history

  5. May 24

    Gendy Tartakovsky's Prmial (2019-)

    Primal (2019-) is an animated series by Gendy Tartakovsky set in an alternate prehistory in which Neanderthals and dinosaurs coexist. Setting aside the anachronisms, this series has received critical acclaim for its emotional depth and unique visual storytelling format. Kim doesn’t care about that—she was too traumatized by the first episode to watch any further. Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: Watch Gendy Tartakovsky’s Primal on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/primal-s-2-e-10/Primal+S1E1.mp4 Listen to our episode on Ironmaster (1983): https://screensofthestoneage.com/podcast/episode-58-ironmaster-1983/ Platt et al. (2026) Interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans was strongly sex biased: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aea6774 Weaver and Hublin (2009) Neandertal birth canal shape and the evolution of human childbirth: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0812554106 Ceratosaurus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratosaurus Giganotosaurus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giganotosaurus Dinosaur colouration: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur_coloration Darwin's Acid - Baba Brinkman - Rap Guide to Evolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apICqy01jo4 Neanderthal fishing: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106731 Trinkaus and Villotte (2017) External auditory exostoses and hearing loss in the Shanidar 1 Neandertal: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186684 Megalania: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalania Voay: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voay Mekosuchus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekosuchus

  6. May 10

    Caveman AI Slop

    Today we’re yelling at all you young whippersnappers to get off our lawn! That’s right, your favourite elder millennial academics are reviewing AI generated caveman slop. It’s a world of polydactyl chad-panzees and GIGO-chads, when men were apes and women were dirty supermodels. Are we witnessing the extinction of human creativity, or are we just stuck in the stone age and refusing to evolve? Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: You can see the complete list of images and videos we reviewed in this episode in this document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U5q3NPTsoZxdTIjlesyLd39PhDNxQcIL/view?usp=sharing Neanderthal skull characteristics: https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/3-s2.0-B9780123786326000173-f17-26-9780123786326.jpg Magnani and Clindaniel (2025) Artificial Intelligence and the Interpretation of the Past: https://www.doi.org/10.1017/aap.2025.10110 Why does AI screw up at hands and fingers? https://www.britannica.com/topic/Why-does-AI-art-screw-up-hands-and-fingers-2230501 People prefer human generated content over AI: https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/people-still-largely-prefer-humans-create-content-not-ai George Jetson and Rosie the robot: https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/293/343/488/042/214/original/d947ba2b674951c1.webp Microsoft’s “Tay” chatbot became a Nazi in 16 hours: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tay_(chatbot) "Walk My Walk" by Breaking Rust topped the Billboard Country Digital Song Sales chart in 2025: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_Rust Neanderthal fingerprint: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0g9jv707yo Neanderthal high-pitched voices: https://www.discovermagazine.com/if-neanderthals-were-able-to-speak-they-may-have-had-high-pitched-voices-46297 Neanderthals boiled water with stones: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-had-houses-hot-water-180956438/ Neanderthals distilled birch tar: https://www.science.org/content/article/scientists-uncover-hearth-neanderthals-may-have-used-make-tar Cue Scratch.WAV by Racche - License: Attribution 3.0: https://freesound.org/s/160907/

  7. Apr 26

    Don Verdean (2015) w/ Dr. Andrew Kinkella

    Today we’re reviewing Don Verdean (2015), the story of a washed-up Biblical archaeologist who, under pressure from his financial backers, begins to fake his discoveries. This movie is rife with pseudoarchaeological references, so we’ve invited Dr. Andrew Kinkella back to help us break it down. As a bonus, he uses his film degree to explain why, despite being hilarious, this movie is actually terrible. Dr. Andrew Kinkella’s links: Kinkella Teaches Archaeology: https://www.youtube.com/@KinkellaTeachesArchaeology The Pseudo-Archaeology Podcast: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/pseudo CRM Archaeology Podcast: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/crmarchpodcast Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: The Frontonasal Suture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontonasal_suture Is carbon dating fake? Pseudo-Archaeology 180: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/pseudo/180 Ark of the Covenant in Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Lady_Mary_of_Zion#Ark_of_the_Covenant The Oak Island Mystery: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Island_mystery The Kensington Runestone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington_Runestone Moundbuilder Myths and Viking Runestones – Great Plains Archaeology Podcast 36: https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/great-plains-archaeology/36 Holy Grail in America (2009): https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/223652-holy-grail-in-america Is There Archaeological Evidence That The Knights Templar Came To America? Mysteries Unearthed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpbBxUrq230 Genesis 19: Sodom and Gomorroah Destroyed: https://www.bible.com/bible/111/GEN.19.NIV 1 Samuel 17: David and Goliath: https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1SA.17.NIV Surovell et al. (2026) A mid-Holocene age for Monte Verde challenges the timeline of human colonization of South America: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adw9217 Dog digs up possible link to notorious 19th-century Devon murder case: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/mar/20/dog-19th-century-devon-murder-case-discovery Under the Banner of Heaven (2022): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1998372/ Johnny Jerusalem’s sarcophagus in a Utah dump: https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/8lclrc/friend_found_this_in_a_dump_yardin_utah_btw/

  8. Apr 12

    Luggage of the Gods

    Luggage of the Gods (1983) is the surprisingly unproblematic story of a relict tribe of cave people living in the uncharted central part of America who are thrust into contact with the outside world when an airliner is forced to dump its passengers’ luggage while flying overhead. This is a low budget ‘80s caveman movie, so you know what that means: we’re playing Caveman Movie Bingo! Get in touch with us! Bluesky: @sotsapodcast.bsky.social Facebook: @SotSAPodcast Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sotsa/ Website: https://screensofthestoneage.com Email: screensofthestoneage@gmail.com ArchPodNet: APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet Merch Store: https://archpodnet.com/shop In this episode: Watch Luggage of the Gods (1983) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqujHn8_u8M Play Caveman Movie Bingo: https://bingobaker.com/#681e1d01d32b436e Oryctolagus cuniculus, the domestic rabbit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_rabbit Piebald: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piebald Vic Reeves singing in the style of a club singer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2prE-DUyESY Urki from Far Cry: Primal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HkrLuV6_Rs The Gods Must be Crazy (1980): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080801/ Cargo Cults: https://www.anthroencyclopedia.com/entry/cargo-cults QAnon as a New Religious Movement: https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/what-the-study-of-new-religious-movements-can-tell-us-about-qanon/

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

The podcast where scientists review movies about prehistoric people! From The Flintstones to The Croods, from Iceman to Encino Man, from Year One to One Million Years BC, we dig into popular movies about the ancient past and sift the facts from the fiction. Hosts with expertise in archaeology, paleoanthropology, human evolution, paleontology, and paleogenetics take you behind the scenes to learn the truth about cave people like Neanderthals and Cro Magnons, and Pleistocene Megafauna like woolly mammoths and sabretooth cats. Plus, history movies, science fiction, pseudoarchaeology, and dinosaurs!

Information

  • Creator
    Josh Lindal, Dr. Kimberly Plomp, and Dr. Ross Barnett
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    137
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Joshua Lindal
  • Show Website
    Screens of the Stone Age

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