The subject in itself is very interesting, which helps the documentary, which is also very well produced.

However, I felt that scientists seem too passionate about the subject to give a more balanced or less biased opinion.

In addition, at a certain point the chief scientist passes by a cave location and makes an incredible discovery. However, how many did not pass by there? How could they not see?

The life and culture of Homo Naledi seemed too romanticized to me, with a lot of speculation and no dissenting voices.

That's why everything in the documentary seems to me to be partly scripted, disclosing possibly previous discoveries as if they were made in front of the cameras.

Not really worth a 600 word review unfortunately. But fine. This could have might have been an interesting or even fascinating anthropology discovery story as implied and stated by the producers in the trailer and description. But in reality there is very little science here. About 20 minutes in total - and that's generous - of the doc has science in it - about ostensibly a possible new genus Homo species these paleoanthropologists call Homo Naledi. The problem is it's just a small team from nowhere USA who haven't as of yet gained any national or international scientific corroboration of their find. They imagine a ton of wild theories about their discovery, all interesting but unfounded. So instead they spend a good hour or more filming things like "can this heavy-set man fit through a small cave opening?" Just not science.

I have over 25 years as an amateur paleontologist working with doctoral paleontologist. I have discovered new dinosaur species over 120 million years old and have published my findings. I know the similarities between archaeology and paleontology and also the differences. In this film I was disappointed with the lack of research discussion given these bones of possibly a new humanoid species. No credible research was discussed to support their assumptions for a new species or activities of the humanoids. Too much time was spent showing the archaeologists and workers climbing over rocks and squeezing through tight places. Those disappointments aside, I was quite shocked that the bones were not scanned to produce an assembled three dimensional skeletal image of the new find; a process that is now used particularly for new rare discoveries. More detail should have been given to support the assumption that there was just no other way into the cave. I wasn't convinced that these ancient beings would have been able to carry dead bodies in for burial through a very difficult passageway. I think Lee Berger should have been more convincing in his speculation about it being the only way in for the ancient beings. Maybe earth quakes over the thousands of years ago may have alter the passageway. Basically not enough research was presented to propose such an important discovery and name a new humanoid species.