The Croods is a pretty awesome movie, with a very entertaining cast of characters as well as a nice theme about family and relationships. The film definitely caters for the kids but it's not necessarily limited to the kids. In fact the adults might pick up a thing or two especially the rebellious and curious daughters and sons and the grumpy, infallible dads.
The story starts with the POV of Eep, the rebellious teenager of the Croods who simply wants to explore her world and not be afraid of the challenges that are outside of the family cave. Of course, daddy dearest does not approve of this and he goes and makes sure that the family stays the way it was, thus ensuring the safety of not only his daughter but also the entire family unit. Things get complicated when Eep meets Guy for the first time and their whole world literally crumbles after that fated meeting. Now the Croods together with Guy and his sidekick/cook/navigator Belt are in for one crazy adventure to reach a safe new world they can call home.
That's the great thing about 'The Croods', while that may have been the entire plot and the entire story, there's so much you still can expect from this film. And even if you've already seen the TV spots and the nice new trailer, that won't tell you squat about what the film truly is. Here are some of my other comments.
THE GOOD:
- Emma Stone was such a nice addition to the voice cast. She's definitely THE quintessential rebellious teenager and her doing the voice for Eep was nice. Plus, I do have a crush on Mr. Andrew Garfield's main squeeze so that alone should put her on the good part (I'm biased like that sometimes).
- Nicolas Cage as Grug was also hilarious. Minus the caveman-ish visuals, I can already imagine what dear old Nic looked like doing the following scenes (a) His 'cool' Grug with his lamebrain ideas (b) his ballistic and near nervous breakdown/ batshit insane mode and his (c) really smart and funny Cage. Trust me when I say that you'll be entertained by these three states of Nicolas Cage-iness.
(Also note that the guy does resemble the Croods patriach in this photo)
- Belt and Sandy was a total treat to watch. There's something about a sloth that acts like a belt, does pretty quirky sound effects and plays wingman that'll make him/ her totally endearing. The Croods youngest member Sandy also falls on the same category just because she's the polar opposite of Belt. She's the wild child of the caveman bunch and when you see her interact with Belt towards the later part of the movie, you'll know that this pairing has a better chance of getting a spinoff.
- The cute pairing of the characters Eep and Guy is nice. They lack chemistry but the visuals make up for the lack of it.
- The fantastic creatures that live in the world of 'The Croods' are also pretty impressive. There's the green sabertoothed cat, the crocodile dog and the twin lemurs. Pretty great character design and creature designs for a film hailing from the same guys that gave us 'Madagascar'.
- The ending also opens up the possibilities of a sequel or two. I'd love to see that second and third film as the Ice Age saga is starting to become pretty old and dated. Really, really happy with that ending.
- The 3D visuals used for the film was also incredible. You'll probably find yourself trying to duck in some scenes or even trying to grasp flying embers from the newly discovered fire. Also, the comedy here is priceless, from Grug rescuing his son's dog to Guy's constant escape from the cavemen, there's a ton of things to laugh about.
THE BAD:
- The aforementioned chemistry between leads Guy and Eep really drags us down. The film goes like this, the plot calls for a perfect timing for Guy and Eep to really gel and give viewers the 'awwwww' factor but then again, it's a family movie first and a love story second.
- In my opinion, each member of the Croods family got a fair share but to really make this an endearing film, it lacked something in relation to the family members yes including Gran. Example, the relationship between Sandy and Grug was never fully developed. Heck the relationship between Grug and the family matriarch Ugga was never fully developed till midway in the film.
Overall, the Croods not only met my expectation, it actually surpassed it. Its not only a visual treat and has a good meat in it plus some huge laughs there and between. The Croods is so good that I'm actually planning to see it when it comes out March 22 together with the missus.
RATING: A
Special thanks to 20th Century Fox and Dreamworks Animation. Again, the Croods opens March 22.
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