Croo-oods! Meet the Croo-oods! An Off-Beat Stone-Age Family!

Rating: 8/10 (10 September 2013)

Actually, the eponymous family in Dreamworks' "The Croods" doesn't really have all that much in common with the Flintstones. For example, they don't have the Flintstones' primitive technological conveniences like the Flintmobile. The Croods don't even have primitive weapons like spears and clubs, and sometimes they even run on all fours like gorillas or chimpanzees. What's worse, they live in an otherworldly, dangerous prehistoric environment that makes "Jumanji" look like a petting zoo. Therefore, in a way, you really can't blame burly Crood father/leader Grug (voice of Nicolas Cage) for being maniacally preoccupied with keeping his family safe.
This bunch of pre-Neanderthals - Grug's wife Ugga (voice of Catherine Keener), slow-witted and klutzy middle son Thunk (Clark Duke), fierce and animalistic toddler daughter Sandy (voice of Randy Thom), caustic Gran (voice of Cloris Leachman), and especially independent-minded elder daughter Eep (voice of Emma Stone) - are all agile, swift and strong fighters. Even so, the Croods are so cautious and fearful that they venture out into the wild only long enough to forage for food (as in the energetic keep-away/football game they play with a wild bird-type to capture its egg toward the film's start). Then, it's off to the safety of the cave, with a boulder door to keep the beasts out. Following Grug's motto of "Life is fear, all the time", the family even sleeps curled up in a ball for mutual safety. Except for teenage daughter Eep, who increasingly resents her family's lack of daring, curiosity, and eagerness to explore and learn.
One night, breaking curfew, Eep literally runs into a good-looking Cro-Magnon type named Guy (Ryan Reynolds) and his all-purpose miniature sloth Belt (voice of Chris Sanders). Though somewhat inferior to Eep in power and athletic prowess, Guy is inventive, self-reliant, and keen on learning new things. All of Guy's qualities attract Eep to him, although Guy is a bit put-off by Eep's rough and yes, crude, manner. But Guy really doesn't have a choice; Eep brings Guy to meet the fam, who manage to appall Guy even more. Grug is equally unimpressed and a bit wary of Guy in turn, not only because of a budding relationship with Eep, but also because Guy's intelligent and adventuresome boldness reflects badly on Grug's ignorant timidity. Taken aback, Guy at first tries to leave.
But natural, seismic upheavals and the terrain change caused by Pangea's splintering force Guy and the Croods to work together to cross the treacherous landscape to find a new home. Can Guy's ideas and experience coupled with the Croods' brawn and agility get them through? Can Grug surmount his shortcomings to help his family get through? Will Grug realize - as Eep and Guy do - that courage as well as exposure to new ideas will help them not only survive, but also prosper? "The Croods" answers these questions with an unexpected blend of knockabout slapstick, sharp but not harsh verbal humor (not even the death fantasies Grug harbors for his mother-in law Gran), and relevant life lessons about survival, facing your inhibitions, maturing, using both strength and intelligence to move ahead and expand your horizons. Therefore, "The Croods" will probably enthrall all family members, from fidgety toddlers to thoughtful, sophisticated adults, as they watch the Croods, especially stick-in-the-mud Grug, tackle the challenge of evolution in all senses of the word.