Faster than you can say, "The Flintstones," Dreamworks offers their own take on the
modern Stone Age family with The Croods.
The Croods opened to boffo box office
worldwide as moviegoers, thirsting for family friendly entertainment, flocked
to theaters for a grand total of over $122 million.
The Croods live in a highly stylized version of prehistoric times where all of their friends have been killed off by animals or disease. The patriarch, Grug (Nicolas Cage), subscribes to the motto, "Never not be afraid." In order to keep his family alive, Grug moves them into a dark cave and spins cautionary tales about how curiosity will kill the caveman. Obviously this irks his teenage daughter, Eep (Emma Stone), whose adventurous streak is a constant concern for her overly protective father. One night, Eep notices a strange, orange glow that leads her into an encounter with Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a more evolved drifter who warns Eep about the end of the world, what we know now as continental drift. Guy disappears and the next morning, the Croods' cave is destroyed by a rockslide. They discover an incredible new world that had existed behind their backs. It's a beautiful, yet dangerous land with strange creatures like land whales, furry saber tooth tigers, and Piranhakeets, ravenous birds with razor sharp teeth. Guy saves the Crood family from a flock and leads them on a journey to a safe haven he calls, "Tomorrow." The Croods are awestruck by Guy and his newfangled inventions like fire, shoes, umbrellas, and snare traps. But, Grug is less than impressed and grows jealous of all the adoration heaped on Guy.
The Croods live in a highly stylized version of prehistoric times where all of their friends have been killed off by animals or disease. The patriarch, Grug (Nicolas Cage), subscribes to the motto, "Never not be afraid." In order to keep his family alive, Grug moves them into a dark cave and spins cautionary tales about how curiosity will kill the caveman. Obviously this irks his teenage daughter, Eep (Emma Stone), whose adventurous streak is a constant concern for her overly protective father. One night, Eep notices a strange, orange glow that leads her into an encounter with Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a more evolved drifter who warns Eep about the end of the world, what we know now as continental drift. Guy disappears and the next morning, the Croods' cave is destroyed by a rockslide. They discover an incredible new world that had existed behind their backs. It's a beautiful, yet dangerous land with strange creatures like land whales, furry saber tooth tigers, and Piranhakeets, ravenous birds with razor sharp teeth. Guy saves the Crood family from a flock and leads them on a journey to a safe haven he calls, "Tomorrow." The Croods are awestruck by Guy and his newfangled inventions like fire, shoes, umbrellas, and snare traps. But, Grug is less than impressed and grows jealous of all the adoration heaped on Guy.
The Croods is
fairly straightforward stuff with obvious themes about family and that trying
new things is good. There are plenty of references to parents being
overprotective, especially when it comes to boyfriends, and kids being
embarrassed by mom and dad. What sets it apart is the presence of co-writer and
co-director Chris Sanders, who previously brought us Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon. The similarities are obvious right down to the character
designs, including an albino hyena and an adorable sloth named Belt, both of
whom bare a resemblance to Experiment 626. Sanders brings real warmth and heart
to the story along with his irreverent sense of humor and a steady stream of
slapstick. The opening sequence with the Croods hunting for breakfast while
fending off other wildlife sets the tone for the energetic pace to come. The
animation is breathtaking with the world the Croods explore baring strong
similarities to Avatar.
There is a small, but strong voice cast at work here with
Nicolas Cage employing his own brand of off-kilter charm to the role of Grug.
He gets in a toned down variation of the trademark Cage meltdown as Grug
undergoes history's first ever mid-life crisis. Emma Stone is terrific in the
lead and even looks a little like her character, who appears to be the freckle
faced offspring of Pebbles and Bam Bam. Rounding out the cast are an underused
Catherine Keener as mom Ugga, Clark Duke as dim-witted brother Thunk, and
Cloris Leachman as the crotchety grandma.
It's a safe bet that the best animated films of 2013 will be
Pixar's Monsters University,
Universal's Despicable Me 2, and The Croods. The zany energy and colorful
presentation will be more than enough to entertain youngsters as well as older
audiences.
Rating: *** (*****)
