Les Croods

I was talked into seeing this, and I have to shout it out, because it is a RIOT! I don't write many reviews, but when I love a film, I have to. If I have any complaint on this one, it's the title. I expected gross-out humor ("crude"). There isn't any, really. It's actually extremely unpredictable, subtle and extremely smart humor.

It has a story arc that you begin to somewhat anticipate, but you don't feel you're being patronized. Instead, you're left feeling that very intelligent people put this thing together in hopes that everyone would find something to love about it.

The cast is great, the animation is fun, and it's non-dizzying 3-D.

When I saw it, the entire audience clapped at the end, because we were entertained throughout, and found the ending really satisfying.

What else? Sweet emotions crop up because we can all relate to the family dynamics. Every family has the screw-up, the salt of the earth, the rebel, and the stubborn one. And it has one of the funniest babies ever put on film. A baby unlike any baby you'll ever see anywhere.

Very, very funny. Definitely recommend.

This movie is very entertaining for viewers of all age groups. 3D effects are awesome. Kids will love it and so will parents.

Some scenes may remind of the beauty of Pandora in Avatar. Overall a great movie that will make you laugh and make you fall in love with characters.

The animals are out of the world and scenes are very colorful. Its a story of survival in midst of danger. It shows the emotions and challenges that families face today in cave man's life.

The movie shows the life of prehistoric humans. The movie also sheds light on relationships and bonds in family ties.

From DreamWorks studios comes its latest animated adventure, the prehistoric family comedy The Croods. It is a slapstick-heavy family movie that should delight young children and keep parents entertained.

The Croods are the last remaining family in an arid desert landscape. They have survived by following family patriarch Grug's (Nicolas Cage) rules to the letter, including staying in the cave after dark and fearing anything that seems new (new is BAAAD). Despite this, teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone) wants to break free and rebels against her father, which results in a chance meeting with the highly inventive Guy (Ryan Reynolds), who warns her that the end of the world is nigh. When the Croods' cave is destroyed, the family is forced on a journey into a strange new world where Grug's rules clash with Guy's techniques for survival.

The Croods is a formulaic movie that sticks to a traditional hero's journey and relies on typical archetypes, but it's elevated by the writing and direction of Kirk DeMicco and How to Train Your Dragon's Chris Sanders. Like Sanders' previous work, The Croods focuses on a family's dynamic and relationships. This time, the focus is on a protective father who wants to protect his family physically and protect his daughter from a member of the opposite sex who suddenly challenges his position as the alpha male. While the trailers and first half of the movie made is seem Eep was the main character, it's actually Grug who goes through the greatest change and learns the biggest lessons.

The story is one about learning, exploring, and using one's intelligence. It also touches on the idea that it's unhealthy to live a sheltered life. But at times, the movie lays it on a bit too much with Guy and his "solutions" leaving Grug on the losing end.

Most of the humour used in The Croods is very physical and slapstick oriented. Characters have Loony Toons levels of invincibility as they endure intense physical pain. This type of humour obviously appeals to fairly young children, but I would be lying if I said I did not laugh at the film at all. The Croods avoids using crude toilet humour to generate cheap laughs. There is not much in the way of verbal humour, but there are some running gags, and modernisms are kept to a minimum. They are still there but they are more putting modern products in a Stone Age setting, a little like The Flintstones, so they serve more as pop-cultural winks to adults.

As expected from a DreamsWork movie the animation is fantastic. It's quick and fluid, and the camera flows nicely as it follows the action. The Croods themselves have a seemingly unpleasant, bulky design to them but it actually works in the context of the film because the characters live in the wild, so big and broad makes sense. It is a little refreshing to see the main female character is not made out to be a stunning beauty, but rather someone who has been shaped by her environment. The beginning of the movie starts with in dry, mono-coloured landscapes before we get to see the bright colours of the jungle and continually seeing the weird creature reminiscence of designs of Sanders' previous works.

Like other animated movies these days, The Croods has a big name voice cast and they also do a decent, if standard job. No one disgraces themselves. Cage is an unusual choice, but he gives a strong performance. There is only one time when Cage is let off the handle; Unfortunately, that is when we are experiencing the most modernism the movie has to offer.

The Croods is not going to match the heights of DreamsWorks major hits of Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon. But it certainly does not belong with the dregs the studio has to offer. It does what it sets out to do: make a movie that will please children while attempting to give a positive message and some heart. It has an old-fashioned sense of humour that leads to a surprisingly enjoyable animated movie.

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I have never written a review on a movie before no matter how good or bad. But this movie really deserves high praise! I had brought the kids to see a few other animated movies before this like Wreck-it Ralph and Rise of the Guardian, but they turned out to be somewhat boring and unengaged. So I went into this not expecting much, it was more for the kids. To my surprise, I LOVED IT! It's different, funny, smart, and adventurous. I found myself giggling through most of the movies and at other times astounded by the visual effects. I also see my kids and other kids sitting at the edge of their seats at times. It is great for all ages. The picture was stunning and saturated with imagination. Dreamworks has outdone themselves with this one. I highly recommend taking your family to see this!

The Croods seems like it's gonna be just another Dreamworks Animated film that has crazy little characters messing around with their antics on a preposterous world. Well, these kinds of films are remarkably fun and has impressive technical achievements but there's nothing else to merit in the end. The Crood is almost one of those simple crazy films if not because of the philosophy that was displayed on the premise. Basically, it's about a zany version of the prehistoric times and a survival on the continental drift. The conflict of this plot is the titular family's choices if they would choose to follow their overprotective father or a stranger who makes daring ideas to survive from the natural condition. Disappointingly, the conclusion goes to the easy way. It doesn't go beyond the comfort zone, but the visuals transcend. The animation is getting better and better. It's totally fun but there are things that could have been more complex.

Everything is ought to be silly and hilarious. The beginning gives a set of ridiculous sequences to easily get to know about these characters. When it finally proceeds to the actual plot, it tells something sophisticated. It's an opposition between safety and getting away from your comfort zone. It ends up being obvious when it is suppose to be complex. But that is what the film wants, be simple and delightful all the way. The film doesn't necessarily need to be deep or emotional, but there is something clever to its concept that could have been smarter.

The best thing about the film is the characters. The performances simply brought them to life. Emma Stone perfectly gives her role a fitting personality. It sounds perfect for Nicolas Cage to play a caveman. He yells at a monkey in one scene which is a usual pleasure from him, but there is more to the Grug character than just yelling. While Cage is having fun, he brings a strong emotional depth to the rest of his scenes. The characters of Clark Duke and Cloris Leachman provide most of the laughs and they effectively show off its joy.

The visual effects are even more spectacular than the rest of the studio's films. Just like their recent films, it's snappy and energetic. The film's world looks amazingly eye candy and imaginative. The prehistoric characters and animals are wonderfully designed. The animal designs are meant to be ironic, like some of them got their food chain reversed eventually or their hybrid will some day become their fear. It's a slick joke. And for the 3D, you know it's great as long as it's from Dreamworks Animation.

It leaves a great amount of heart and fun, but its enlightenment theme results as being underwhelming and somewhat contrived. It would have made this more than just a typical Dreamworks film, but it doesn't matter because the movie is definitely suppose to be delightful for the entire family. It still takes some clever points. It's also great to see a load of spectacular animation. It is indeed truly enjoyable and full of life. The Croods is far from classic but this is kind of film that would enjoy anytime.