Part 1 of a 5 part series looking back at “Cavemen” one of the longest running video series in parkour.
To celebrate the new release of Cavemen 5 by Storror, staring Max and Benj Cave, I figured it would be fun to look back at the very first one and see what ended up making this one of the longest running video series in parkour. Starting with an analysis of what the video entails, as well as a review to see if it stands the test of time. Most video reviews I will be posting from this point forward will have an analysis beforehand. And just so we are all on the same page, this is merely my opinion and not absolute.
The music was an excellent choice as well… the silent parts as moments of emphasis for a landing. That sort of editing always gives me chills as a filmmaker and musician.
Analysis
Let’s start with some video details. Cavemen 1 was released October 1, 2014. Accompanied by the song “Cavemen” by Lalo Schifrin it stars Max and Benj Cave. The video starts with a black screen with an audio sample talking about going back in time, specifically when there were cavemen. We are also introduced to our athletes at the same time tending to a fire. After a quick logo intro we get into the meat and potatoes, all within a quick 30 seconds.
Max is the first athlete showcased with a mix of close up shots with high intensity, and bits where we are allowed to see the scale of what’s happening. About halfway into the video we see Benj tagged in to finish off the style of running fast and jumping far that these two have specialized in. I say tagged in literally as well, which is cool as often times group videos can feel as if people are competing for their chance to shine. Here we get two separate halves creating a full video. Meaning both athletes have their own time without interruption.
The accompaniment of the music adds to the sort of chaos that their movement brings adding to the videos general aesthetic. Especially when Max finishes his half of the video to silence. Letting the sound of parkour take over as he’s tagging Benj in to finish the video along with the same song bleeding back in. The video often cuts during the runs I’m sure to add to that chaos as well, and probably to help add scale like I mentioned earlier. I’ll be talking more about this in the review section. There are some moments as well where some footage is clearly from a different camera and time when the idea of this video probably came to be. As the colors are so drastically different it’s hard not to notice when watching.
Benj’s barrel roll line is also very fun and original for its time seeing as I can’t really remember that many people utilizing that move during 2014.
The video ends with a fat roof gap to a mat and everyone celebrating which in parkour terms is very traditional at this point. Also at the end is a fail compilation with stock adobe transitions everyone’s grandma uses when attempting to make a video slideshow thing. Otherwise good ending in general.
Review
I very much enjoy this video for what it is. There’s so much personality in the Cave’s movement. The nonstop run-fast-jump-far aesthetic is very hooking from the get go, not to mention the pop cast Max does in the beginning, and Benj’s use of a mix between a reverse vault and 540 kick. The contrast is certainly fun to watch and admire. Benj’s barrel roll line is also very fun and original for its time seeing as I can’t really remember that many people utilizing that move during 2014.
There is no other use of nature during the entire video which is absolutely a missed opportunity for symbolism.
The music was an excellent choice as well. Something I appreciate about those who edit to music well is that they use the silent parts as moments of emphasis for a landing. That sort of editing always gives me chills as a filmmaker and musician. Not just that, but the use of subdivisions also! Putting landing sounds on the subdivisions of the downbeats is a really fun way to add more to the experience someone might have watching your video.
That’s about where my compliments end. In the beginning we have two black screen monologue intro and our athletes tending to a fire. There is no other use of nature during the entire video which is absolutely a missed opportunity for symbolism. Instead of a closer shot we could’ve gotten something wider with their concrete jungle being their “nature” and it would’ve been more meaningful to me.
Cutting footage is another problem I have with more recent media. Anyone who has complained about the Marvel movie action scenes with more cuts in it than a turkey at thanksgiving, Cavemen is absolutely in that same category of too many cuts. Why do we need three individual cuts for Max’s pop cast? The answer is we don’t, but we can’t change it back so it’s whatever. There are some moments I find breathtaking, and those where I feel the movement hasn’t been allowed to breathe so the audience can really enjoy what is actually happening.
If I were to rate this video out of 10 it would be a 7.5 (which is way above average). The video offers some really cool ideas and a good viewing experience, but it’s no masterpiece.
Thank you all for reading and hopefully we can have a discussion on parkour content and what we want out of it!
Stay tuned for part 2 of this series.