Werner Herzog is given intimate access to the earliest instance of cave painting known to modern man, the Chauvet Cave in southern France. It's a mesmerizing topic, but after the third or fourth time the screen pans dramatically across the same six sketches, it's clear that elaboration just isn't in the cards. Rather than using these caves as a jumping-off point to discuss early man and his habit of cave painting in general, Herzog stands in place and explores the particulars of these specific illustrations. Which is his prerogative, granted, and fully excusable if he's able to find enough meat to justify the narrow perspective. Ultimately he doesn't, though, and his long, dull conversations with the local team of researchers only further belabor a struggling theme. Dry and emotionless as a textbook with just one or two moments of wonder, it's too much for a TV episode and too little for a feature-length documentary.