juneebuggy I can't believe there hasn't been more said about this movie over the years, its seriously underrated, just an excellent movie. Released in 1984 except for the clothes and possibly Timothy Hutton's hair Iceman stands up perfectly fine today, I never once thought that's cheesy (as you do with 80's movies.Hutton plays a scientist who is part of an arctic exploration team that discover and revive a 10,000 yr. old prehistoric hunter. The opening scenes where they thaw Iceman out are excellent, very exciting and done in a way that's plausible for the sake of the story. There is a bit too much time spent on the whole male bonding & language issue but I think the real reason this is so good is the Oscar worthy performance from John Lone as the Iceman. Wow, just amazing. The mannerisms and amount of research that must have gone into how this Neanderthal man would act and interact in his environment and with people. I enjoyed the story here too as Hutton wants to protect "Charlie" and the scientists want to study/dissect him. It was interesting watching Charlie become aware that he was actually in captivity. Sigh the ending. 7/26/14

bob-790-196018 What makes this picture very enjoyable indeed is the expert direction of Fred Schepisi and a really fascinating performance by John Lone as a Neanderthal man marooned in the 20th Century.If you believe the high-tech medical mumbo-jumbo in which which Lone is "revived," I have a bridge I can sell you, but in spite of this nonsense the sequence works wonderfully through skillful direction and editing. Very suspenseful and full of wonder. You completely forget to ask what a fully equipped trauma team, on the order of what you might find at Mass General Hospital's ER, is doing in the middle of the Arctic.Or, for that matter, what an isolated Arctic outpost is doing with an elaborate vivarium replicating a forest environment.Nevertheless, the encounters in that simulated environment between Timothy Hutton and Lindsay Crouse, on the one hand, and John Lone are fascinating and completely credible. I fully believe that if a Neanderthaler could be revived, he could be like this. The exploration of his language and concepts was intelligent and fun to watch.There is one more bravura sequence worth mentioning--when John Lone escapes from the vivarium and finds himself in the totally artificial 20th Century world of the Arctic station. Wonderfully acted and edited. It forces us to see our world from an alien viewpoint.Far less convincing is the anthropological speculation that serves as a rationale for the Neanderthaler's wandering off into the Arctic snows. We are told that he is going on his "dreamwalk," but all I could see was that he was headed for certain death by exposure and should be stopped.Early on in the movie, the medical team's immediate response to the revival of the Neanderthaler was preposterous--they wanted to cut him up and study him. Bad Scientists! Good Cave Man! No responsible scientists or medical people would have acted this way. Faced with a living Neanderthal man, the obvious response would be to take him to an environment where he could feel unthreatened and reasonably at home while modern people learned about him, his language, his culture, and, yes, his physiology. All in all, the movie is so well made that you overlook the silliness of the "science" until afterward, when you've had a chance to think about it.

patty-lamberti The screenwriter really got off easy writing this one - all the Iceman does is moan "Ugh...ahh,...oooh..." and inexplicably "Peter..." throughout the movie.Some things to watch for (and watch it you should just for hilarity's sake...The security system they have to contain the iceman is hilarious, even by 1980s standards.And how exactly does Timothy Hutton figure out what the Iceman's major malfunction is after exchanging a few brief words with local Eskimos? If the helicopter annoys the Iceman so much, why do they keep flying it around him? Just use your snowmobiles, dudes.And it's most shocking the Iceman doesn't drop dead considering all the stress he's under. Wouldn't his recently dethawed heart just kinda pitter patter out? I do wonder if Timothy Hutton got to keep that fur coat. It would really dazzle on the red carpet.

drmality-1 What you think of "Iceman" depends on your general nature. If you are sentimental and deeply moved by stories of great emotion, you'll love it. If you are hard-edged, cynical and opposed to the least bit of softening in life, you'll think it crass. I know what side of the fence I'm on. I loved the movie and was moved to tears the first time I saw it. It still moves me all these years later.In the high arctic, the remains of a Neanderthal hunter are found perfectly preserved in ice. To the astonishment of the scientists who handle the remains, the capacity for life still lingers in the body. They return the frozen primitive to life in the 20th century...at least 20,000 years after his "death". The revival of "Charlie" sparks a multitude of moral dilemmas for the scientists. Earnest young anthropologist Shepherd wants to know Charlie as a man and bonds with the primitive. Other scientists want to use the special properties of Charlie's blood to preserve human life...a good goal, but they look at him as a specimen.When Charlie escapes from the special environment prepared for him, havoc ensues, leading to a powerful ending where he tries to complete the quest he started tens of thousands of years ago.The tale is simple and heartfelt. John Lone gives an astonishing performance as Charlie. His physical movements and primitive vocalizations completely bring to life a man from the dawn of time. Yet we also sense moments of sadness, anger, humor and family pride from him. Thanks to the Academy's snubbing of fantasy/SF films, which would not be erased until the massive success of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy years later, Lone's Oscar-worthy performance was ignored. You will be amazed by the humanity he brings to the role. Timothy Hutton is earnest and sincere as the moral but naive scientist who tries his best to help his Neanderthal friend.The movie is not perfect...some of the scientific jargon is overdone and I was incredibly annoyed by James Tolkan's constant gum-chewing...but it succeeds in matters of the heart. The ending is sad yet triumphant. If you think about the situation, it was the best possible ending for Charlie given the circumstances.Anyone with a heart and a sense of wonder should enjoy "Iceman".