Croods, The (2013) [Blu-ray]
Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

Tagline: Everything Begins

Join the first modern family as they embark on the journey of a lifetime across a spectacular and unforgettable landscape. When their cave is destroyed, everything the Croods have ever known is rocked by seismic shifts and generational clashes as they discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures - and their world is changed forever. If they don’t evolve, they’ll be history!

Storyline: The Croods is a prehistoric comedy adventure that follows the world's first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always shielded them from danger is destroyed. Traveling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures -- and their outlook is changed forever. Written by DreamWorks Animation

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on October 3, 2013 -- It's human nature to fear the unknown, and that's not something that has changed with time. Even in today's ultra fast-paced, always-on, ever-connected, and constantly-evolving world, there's still that uneasiness in the stomach, that hesitation brought on by doubt, that terror of leaving a comfort zone when it comes time to try new things, whether it's riding a bike without training wheels, heading in for the first day on the job, or sitting down to a meal at that exotic restaurant. But there's a difference between nervous excitement and plain old nervousness. A bad day at the office usually won't end in death. A bad day one the rocky, barren landscape of the caveman's world? That's a different story altogether, and sometimes, erring on the side of caution could be the difference between curling up on that favorite rock at the end of the day or winding up splattered on top of it. In The Croods, a family of prehistoric human beings, all of whom lack much living skill beyond talking and moving, is forced to shake up its routine when prophesies of doom and the sight of newfangled things, like fire, interrupts their safety net way of life, which really isn't a "way of life" at all. These are people who live on instinct and fear everything else, even those things they can see with their eyes, touch with their hands, or hear with their ears. It's a film about not just trying new things, but understanding the world and adapting to it, realizing that everything isn't black-and-white, that nothing lasts forever, that safety is sometimes more dangerous than taking a risk. It's a fun and well-constructed, if not slightly trite, movie experience sure to bring a smile to the faces of viewers of all ages.

The Crood family -- father Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage), mother Ugga (voiced by Catherine Keener), son Thunk (voiced by Clark Duke), daughter Eep (voiced by Emma Stone), infant daughter Sandy (voiced by Randy Thom), and Ugga's mother Gran (voiced by Cloris Leachman) -- has survived far longer than expected. Where other caveman families have perished in most unfortunate ways, Grug has kept his family safe by remaining tucked away inside the family cave and venturing out only when their stomachs insist. Grug labels everything as "dangerous" and off-limits for his family. It's no way to live, but they at least keep on living. One day, a restless Eep sneaks outside the cave and meets Guy (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), an intelligent prehistoric teenager who has discovered the secret of fire and the pleasures and benefits of footwear. He warns Eep of pending disaster. His predictions come true when an earthquake strikes and destroys the family cave. Now, with Guy as their guide, the family is forced to journey through a world they've never seen and do not understand. Along the way, Grug's overprotective method of survival clashes with Guy's brash, daring, and inventive ways of tackling problems. Can the family survive not only the rift that forms between the men, but the dangers it faces on its way towards a new home?

The Croods delivers a satisfying movie experience through and through, even considering that it mostly follows type and, aside from its setting and a few clever jokes and scenarios, doesn't often distinguish itself from animated norms. Even through a funny and witty script and an entertainingly diverse cast of characters, there's not so much a staleness but certainly an air of familiarity about the movie's cadence, from character dynamics to the obligatory pop song that serenades audiences at the end. It plays with the same basic emotions captured through animated family dynamics and zany characters. It offers solidly entertaining and robust but fairly predictable run-around action. It plays through the usual character arc complexities in which trust is slowly earned, rifts between characters are eventually mended, and doubts and fears are gradually reshaped into happiness and acceptance. Still, the movie offers solid entertainment value in a very well made package. The voice acting ranges from acceptable to inspired, and the animation never disappoints, whether character structure, caveman-era rocky terrain, or the bold look of the bright vegetation from the second half that almost feels alien in comparison to the bleak, barren earthy flavor of the first half. So long as expectations for anything radically new are kept in check, audiences should easily fall in love with DreamWorks' latest film.

Although many of the broad elements fail to find much distinction from other animated films, The Croods does manage to unearth some tantalizing new bits and pieces that add an incredible amount of charm and watchability to the movie. The picture opens with a football-like game of "gather the food," complete with the coin toss (throwing the mother-in-law in the air and deciding "heads" or "tails" based on how she lands) and all of the contact sports touches that one would expect -- and few one wouldn't expect -- to see when an egg replaces the pigskin and pebbly terrain replaces the green grass of the gridiron. The movie shows plenty of creativity after, too, as it works to blend in a lot of silliness that doesn't make any contextual sense in the film but nevertheless makes for a series of agreeable little moments, such as when a character pretends to use a couple of rocks as a modern doctor might use a defibrillator. Father Crood tries to prove his intelligence by "inventing" things like photographs, sunglasses, the mobile home, and the elevator, all with a charming prehistoric twist to them. Yet it's some of the more intimate moments that really work best. A scene in which Eep first encounters fire is largely quiet and breathlessly so as the look of curiosity and, in a way, satisfaction for breaking from her father's rules and making such a startling discovery slowly cross her face. More humorous scenes of a similar style -- Eep's first time wearing shoes -- bring about an equal, albeit different, sort of memorable vibe to the film. Despite all the familiar refrains that shape the movie's basic structure, it's the small touches that mix the modern with the prehistoric and all of the seemingly insignificant but character-, mood-, and theme-shaping little elements that help turn The Croods from generic copycat with a facelift into a special little movie watching experience.

The Croods offers a hugely satisfying animated movie experience, particularly beyond the fairly stale and predictable superficial dynamics. Under the surface is warm, welcoming story, a fun, honest, heartelft tale of discovery, of satisfaction, of accepting new things, of understanding the greater world. It's a very sweet and touching experience amidst all of the humor, most of which hits and none of which falls completely flat. To be sure, there's not much room to reinvent the wheel -- the wheel, in this case, being the modern Pixar/DreamWorks/Sony Animation-style Family animated film -- but there's something to be said for sprucing it up and getting the most out of its capabilities, which The Croods does very well. Fox/DreamWorks' Blu-ray 3D release of The Croods delivers awesome 2D picture attributes, a fair 3D transfer, and amazing sound. A nice array of extras are included. Recommended, and the movie is sure to leave audiences of all ages extremely satisfied.

[CSW] -2.6- A family of Neanderthals who live in a cave are thrust into a new reality when their world begins to fall apart. There are certainly some funny moments but for a nit picky plot person like myself, there were far too many things that were unexplained or just plain wrong that I can't say that I liked it a lot. Guy knows that there is going to be a cataclysmic event but it is never explained why. Most of the animals were just plain wrong even for make believe. This movie is better suited for little kids and coming of age teens and pre-teens. It was enjoyable but just not my cup of tea.
[V5.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box 10/10.



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