March 22nd, 2013 
Justin Proper 
Movie: The Croods
Director: Kirk DeMicco, Chris Sanders
Writer: John Cleese, Kirk DeMicco, Chris Sanders
Studio: DreamWorks Animation
An all-star cast and fantastic creatures brings this prehistoric story out of the cave and into your heart.
I will be the first to admit that I was not excited to see The Croods. I am not a fan of kids movies, I hate 3-D, and I was not really feeling that well the night I was supposed to go to the theater thanks to my old nemesis, the common cold. Then creator of UTG, James Shotwell, told me to look at it like the ultimate prequel to any Nic Cage movie and I decided to give it a shot. My expectations were as low as they have ever been but, thankfully, I was very surprised and impressed by the film.
The Croods tells the story of a family of cavemen (and cavewomen?) who just want to survive. They hide in a cave, only leaving to get food rarely, never exploring the outside world for fear of death. The eldest daughter of the Crood family (Emma Stone) decides that she has had enough of her father (Nicolas Cage) and his rules for survival as she has a yearning to explore the world outside of their cave. One night she sneaks out and meets a very modern (for their time anyways) looking boy (Ryan Reynolds) and everything changes. Soon the family is off on an adventure (some very reluctantly) to find a new place to live and a way to survive that does not involve being afraid all the time.
The main thing The Croods has going for it is an amazing voice cast. It stars everyone mentioned above and also Clark Duke, Cloris Leachman, and Katherine Keener. Not only that, but all of these people play the perfect character you would expect them to play based on their other movies. Nic Cage is caring and funny but still flies of the handle and goes completely insane at a moments notice. Ryan Reynolds is witty and sarcastic while maintaining his charm. Surprisingly, Cloris Leachman’s old lady character is hilarious and always giving her son in law a hard time. They are exactly the roles you would expect them to play and it makes the characters perfect.
The other thing that really stands out about The Croods is the world it is set in. Instead of your usual prehistoric planet earth we get a fantasy one filled with lush landscapes and inventive and whimsical creatures. Nearly all of the animals in this film are a mix of two real world animals, but the combinations are so outlandish they become enchanting and delightfully absurd. You will see things like turtles with bird wing or whales with elephant legs on land. I hope DreamWorks is making some of these creatures into stuffed animals for the kids because they are definitely going to want some.
The only thing that The Croods lacked was a story that did not feel cliche. This is to be expected from a family film. Of course the teenage daughter is rebelling against her father, and of course a new boy in her life is instigating that change. The story was very predictable but this is not so much about where the plot is going but how it is getting there, and this journey is worth the trip. If you have kids or just want a comedy that is easy going and easily accessible then make sure to check out The Croods.
Score: B
Review written by: Justin Proper
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