Unknown: Cave Of Bones Review: Making Us Human

This documentary film, directed by Mark Munnucci, follows Paleoanthropologist Lee Berger on an exciting adventure in South Africa as he and his team attempt to prove that the skeletal remains discovered in the world’s oldest graveyard do not belong to humans, but to fascinating creatures who practice a very thorough and complex form of burial rituals. The movie runs for 93 minutes. Keep reading to know more about Unknown: Cave of bones review.

Unknown: Cave of Bones Review

The documentary film, narrated by Paleoanthropologist Lee Berger, will give you shivers as he talks about Homo Naledi as his team descends into tight caverns. The claustrophobic audience will find it difficult to watch as the men and women rappel down these dark, rocky terrains into the unknown abyss, which barely has enough space for anyone to squeeze through.

The dark rocky caves that you have to crawl through and rope down are as much a character as the scientists and archaeologists. They also have an enthralling story to tell and so much history that even before the archaeologists get into the story, you are left wondering about the secrets that lay within the walls, some of which are yet to be found.

Unknown: Cave of Bones is about Homo naledi, an early human progenitor discovered for the first time in 2013 in the Rising Star Cave, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa, d@ting back to the Middle Pleistocene 335,000-236,000 years ago. Paleoanthropologist Lee Berger leads us on a voyage, and while we witness film of the numerous finds in the cave system between 2013 and 2022, he also outlines how the naledi are and what their groups would have been made up of.

The documentary is a mix of adrenaline rush and emotion, with the latter coming out of nowhere and catching you off guard. At one point, I found myself tearing up as we discussed how these primitive beings, so similar to us in so many ways, could have felt when descending this dark and treacherous tunnel with only their hands and feet to bid goodbye to their deceased loved ones. The background score also doesn’t help in these moments, yet it fits so beautifully with this profound subject of love and loss that it really does strike a nerve somewhere.

Netflix Tudum shared a tweet about the Unknown: Caves Of Bones:

Watch the major discovery of our ancient human relatives from 240,000 years ago in Unknown: Cave of Bones.https://t.co/D2oF3HhT4S

— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) July 17, 2023

Humans are such complex animals, with so many distinct ideas and sensations interacting with one another. And the Homo naledi, while having a smaller brain than humans (which is frequently mentioned in the episode), will astound you with their ability to think deeper than you could have thought. Of course, there are others who would (and evidently do) disagree. However, the facts offered to us viewers may prove different, and you will believe that our (likely) ancestors, despite having smaller brains and such, were capable of collective work as well as so much love and empathy.

I think the way the video was done is quite unique – you learn about Homo naledi and the cave system first to pique your curiosity, and then they delve into Berger’s discovery, his personal win, and everything else that comes out. It makes us sympathize with both the species being discovered and the humans doing the discovery. There is a scene in which Berger is able to realize a childhood ambition, and as a viewer, you are overwhelmed with joy seeing him happy.

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Something that especially perplexed me was how the camera team was able to descend down these extremely small corridors while filming while falling into the abyss. Honorable mention. Most people would be terrified just thinking about going down, let alone with a camera in their hands! The pictorial representation and animated films are really useful and enhance the viewing experience.

Unknown: Cave of Bones Review: Final Thoughts

Finally, Unknown: Cave of Bones is a fascinating and intelligent video that will pique your interest in learning more about our long-forgotten forefathers. It’s an emotional and hopeful journey into history and the strange case of early “humans” who had deeper cognitive processes than we could have anticipated.

Tom Higham shares thoughts about Unknown: Cave of Bones:

Just watched Unknown: Cave of Bones. It is an amazing site with incredible discoveries. It was great to see inside the cave which is truly stunning. Yes a lot of conjecture and leaping to conclusions (the 'tool', the art, the burial pits etc) but hey that's what happens on TV.

— Tom Higham (@tommyhigham) July 18, 2023