Colorful "Croods" provides familiar prehistoric fun
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| The Croods |
The animated film "The Croods" deals with what could be known as the first family road trip. Entertaining, if not unoriginal, it's an energetic, colorful adventure that will most please the young set. The story deals with a young girl named Eep (Emma Stone), whose part of a cave family (Nicolas Cage, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke and the always peachy Cloris Leachman) whose main focus is survival by cave dwelling. When their home is destroyed, they set out to find a new home and encounter a young man aptly named Guy (Ryan Reynolds) whose fresh ideas keep them out of trouble. When their way of life is threatened, they must make a choice: stay put or try something new. Interestingly, "The Croods," while pleasantly entertaining, may seem too familiar in that it provides nothing original in terms of storytelling: think "The Flinstones" meets "National Lampoon's Vacation" with a splash of "Brave" for good measure. Admittedly, the crisp, bright animation of "Croods" is the best thing about the movie, even if the story doesn't provide a fresh palette; it's also nice that Cage in particular is doing something different than the ultra-cheesy action/horror films he's been earning paychecks with as of late. Stone and Reynolds are a nice pairing, though it's 80-something and "Raising Hope" star Cloris Leachman who manages to steal the best lines and giving the movie some kick. The film is peppered with enough swift action sequences (the opening scene is actually pretty fun) to cover the muddled plotting that gives little reasoning as to why this family hits the road. As it is, "The Croods," directed by the team who helped bring "How to Train Your Dragon" to life (this is also Dreamworks Animation), is above-average, serviceable family entertainment, something that the recent "Oz: The Great and Powerful" failed to do.
Wes's Grade: B
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