The Croods Reviews

I didn't even know this before but, before this movie was released, DreamWorks Animation was apparently on the verge of bankruptcy. Indeed, after the failure of 'Rise of the Guardians' (which was actually fairly enjoyable in my opinion), they sustained a huge financial loss and had already fired 350 employees. Fortunately, this movie turned out to be a box-office success, even one of the most profitable movies released in 2013. So, it should mean that it was pretty awesome, right? Well, not really, I'm afraid. Basically, I thought it was just a typical DreamWorks effort. Indeed, the animation was just really impressive with some great colors and, above all, some amazing made-up creatures. Unfortunately, as usual, with those guys, the story was just really disappointing. Indeed, it was just really predictable and seriously shallow. It's too bad because the concept, dealing with a family of cavemen, was actually pretty neat and definitely had some potential but, in contrary to Pixar, DreamWorks never had the ambition to deliver something actually deeper and more meaningful. To conclude, even though it was nothing really amazing, it was still a decent watch and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

While companies like Pixar (and to a lesser extent, Disney) continue to innovate and take risks, Dreamworks is still using their same formula. The formula, of course, is use themes from better films, recycle all the same gags from previous efforts, splash some colorful visuals on it, and it if it does well, plan a sequel and a television series. Examples of this formula: Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon and Shrek (though in it's defense, Shrek never got a TV series). Now, we can add The Croods to Dreamwork's extensive list of products.

The Croods is about a family of cavemen that are used to living in their protected cave. Eep, the oldest daughter of the family, wishes to explore the outside world, but her father, Grug, forbids it. But the entire family is pushed outside of their comfort zone when their cave is destroyed, and they are exposed to the wilderness. They find a tour guide of sorts named Guy (and his pet sloth, Belt) that promises to aid them on their journey. And so, the generic adventures begins.

So, let's count the cliches and rip-offs in The Croods. For one, we have the adventurous, free-spirited daughter (see Brave), and the overprotective father (see Finding Nemo). We have the father learning to adapt to his offspring's new way of life (How to Train Your Dragon). And we have the main character giving a spoken epilogue at the end of the film (nearly every CGI Dreamworks film) There are many other examples in the film, but this is all to say that there is nothing in The Croods that we haven't seen before in other animated films.

This is the same film that audiences have seen dozens of times. There is no reason to see this film, because odds are, you own an animated film that's almost exactly like this.

Occasionally, formula films can entertain, but The Croods is not an example of this. In fact, more often than not, The Croods is downright dull. The plot is uninteresting (and offensively generic), the characters are unlikable (as well as being either bland or a tired stereotype), and the entire film is absurdly predictable.

The humor in this film scarcely ever works. All of the gags seem aimed at the 10 and under crowd (and for that matter, the story seems that way too). With that being said, kids will probably love this movie, but there's nothing here for their parents or older siblings.

Even the animation is lacking. The visuals in the first 20ish minutes would've looked unimpressive 10 years ago. After the first 20 minutes, the animation picks up significantly with some beautiful environments, but the characters themselves still lack detail. However, I will say that some of the designs for the prehistoric creatures are very unique, and very creative, so if nothing else, there is at least a little originality in the creature design department.

The cast provides serviceable, but unimpressive (and forgettable) voices for the characters in the film. No stand-outs here.

The score, by Alan Silverstri, is fun at times. But one of the main themes sounds frustratingly similar to the Burning Bush theme from Prince of Egypt (a much better Dreamworks film, by the way).

It frustrates me to see a film so devoid of creativity, and so reliant upon the themes and ideas of other, better films. It frustrates me even more to see how much money these formula films make. Aren't audiences tired of seeing Dreamworks regurgitate characters, plots, and gags that they've seen in many other films, many other times? Aren't audiences getting bored with Dreamworks making the same film over and over? Well, if you disagree, then you're in luck: Like the franchises listed at the beginning of this review, The Croods is getting a sequel and a TV series. Frustrating is too weak a word for me to use. How about disgusted?

So far the best animation of 2013. After 'Ice Age' now it's time to explore into another world 'Stone Age'. It was the story of a caveman family that is set in the time of the stone age. I never thought the Nicolas Case suit for an animation character, I am surprised, he was the best and his voice perfectly synced with one.

According to the movie everything were not logic in the movie and one should not be bothered about it. The species that comes in the movie were fused with each other and kinda worked for the story. The movie was simply enjoyable, I had so much fun, the Crood family was awesome. The story was very simple, it was all about adventurous journey of a family to escape the disaster.

You know teenage daughter and her over caring father never compromise for anything in life. In this movie they always fight each others, one of parenting rights and other for the freedom to experience new stuffs. Like most of the story, boy meets girl here too two young people meet but kinda fairly avoided the romance. Of course there will be always one geek brother and a annoying little sister and a disgusting granny and a mother who always listens to her hubby.

In those I have seen 2013s animated movies it was the best pick, many are yet to release. A movie can be enjoyed with family and kids. A must see for animation movie fans and I highly recommend it.

"Splitting up is a bad idea, it is much safer if we stay together!"

The credits for The Croods may list Monty Python alum John Cleese as a co-writer, but do not let this formality fool you. Cleese was only involved in the production's early stages many years ago, when Aardman Animation was slated to produce it. Eventually, however, DreamWorks picked up the project and re-hauled it, stripping away any flavour and wit it might have once possessed. As a result, The Croods is a by-the-book animated family flick in the vein of the Ice Age sequels, hitting all expected story beats and never really doing enough to stand out. Although it begins with promise, it plummets into mediocrity and never recovers, with dull characters, flat pacing, rote scripting and a lack of compelling conflict keeping The Croods from reaching its full potential. It may entertain the kids to an extent, but that's just not good enough.

The leader of a caveman family, Grug (Nicolas Cage) is profoundly terrified of the outside world, maintaining his mantra of "never not be afraid" and perpetually shielding his loved ones in their cave, including teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone), wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), son Thunk (Clark Duke), toddler Sandy (Randy Thom), and his mother-in-law (Cloris Leachman). As a result of Grug's vigilance, they are seemingly the last family of their kind to not be wiped out by natural selection. Eep feels trapped, though, and grows curious about what the rest of the world holds. Lured out of the cave at night by the glow of a fire, Eep meets Guy (Ryan Reynolds) and his pet sloth Belt (Chris Sanders), an adventurous pair who warn Eep that the land is collapsing due to volcanos and earthquakes. Smitten with Guy, Eep pushes her family to join him after their cave collapses, setting out to find safer ground and a new place to call home. Grug is dragged out of his comfort zone, forced to confront the perils of the world while trying to protect his family.

Fortunately, writer-directors Chris Sanders and Kirk De Micco eschew pop culture references and use of trashy pop songs, which is groundbreaking for a DreamWorks picture. This aside, though, The Croods is extraordinarily by-the-numbers, abiding by an overly clichéd three-act structure and deploying character arcs straight out of the Animation 101 handbook. Unoriginality by itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but Sanders and De Micco lack the imagination and wit to allow the movie to genuinely soar. Moreover, the story's central message is confused and muddled. The flick posits that living within rules and routines is not living at all, and that taking risks will give you a full life. But one can understand Grug's viewpoint, as the planet is populated with dangerous beasts at every turn. Plus, it's even explained at the film's beginning that all of their neighbours have died, and they've only survived because of Grug's diligence. Sanders and De Micco seem to vilify Grug, but for no good reason. And is it really the best thing for a children's animated movie to tell its audience that they should run wild and not listen to their parents?

Simply put, The Croods should be far funnier. Ice Age may be getting drearier with each passing instalment, but it has an ace in the hole in the form of Scrat, whose acorn-related antics alone make those flicks worth watching at least once. Alas, The Croods does not have a Scrat. And without it, there's not a great deal of comic vigour or punch to the material. Instead, Sanders and De Micco go through the predictable motions without making the picture goofy enough for the little kids, or smart or mature enough for the adults. There was plenty of potential for the writer-directors to deliver a daring climax in the vein of How to Train Your Dragon (which was hugely affecting and exhilarating in equal measure), but Sanders and De Micco opt for bland safeness. Still, in spite of all this negativity, The Croods has its pleasures, mainly the luscious animation and a handful of effective set-pieces, not to mention the designs of the creatures. The Croods is all surface, but at least it's a mildly effective surface at times.

Even though the material is basic, The Croods is livened to an extent by the cast. Rising star Stone is a good fit for Eep, while Leachman is expectedly entertaining. But it's Cage who runs away with the whole movie (trust Cage to steal the show in an animated production), turning Grug into a lovable presence and conveying a sense of emotion at times. Cage sounds like he's actually acting, rather than just reciting lines. Meanwhile, Duke and Keener are decent enough, though Reynolds is so utterly non-descript and flavourless that you may not even realise he's voicing Guy.

DreamWorks animated movies are distinctly hit and miss. Whereas Pixar always produces good movies as long as the word "Cars" isn't in the title, DreamWorks has only produced a handful of memorable winners. Alas, The Croods will not be remembered as one of the studio's best titles. On its own terms it's not too shabby, but it looks extremely below-par when placed against other recent animated movies, like Rango, ParaNorman, How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3 and Tangled. It's not funny or emotional enough. Perhaps if John Cleese remained aboard throughout the entire production, or if the movie remained housed as Aardman, The Croods would've been more meaningful and impressive. As it is, it feels really pre-packaged.

5.9/10

The croods, is a comedy, adventure animation movie, set in a Croodacious era, whereby a family living in caves, suddenly got eosed to the Greenland and its adventures, the family had been forced to leave their native cave to search for their new home.

WoW quite a few animation movies, impressive ones, lined up for releasing in 2013. Keep your fingers cross.