Great colourful fun from Dreamworks

Rating: 8/10 (31 March 2013)

Dreamworks have been hit and miss for me(mostly hits), while I love The Prince of Egypt and How to Train Your Dragon, Shark Tale and Bee Movie left me underwhelmed. Watching the trailer for The Croods, admittedly I wasn't entirely impressed. But as I love animation so much and because I believe in giving any film a chance, I went ahead and watched The Croods anyway. And it was much better than anticipated and what the trailer made it out to be, in fact I found myself liking The Croods very much. I did think that the ending was a cop-out, it seemed to me that the film didn't know how or when it was going to end and it seemed too convenient also. And I also thought that the film was a little too long, some of the story structure towards the end seemed on the verge of petering out. The animation however is really wonderful, it is detailed and very colourful with the character designs well modelled and convincing in movement. If you see The Croods, try and see it in 3D if you can, I am usually not a fan of the 3D gimmick but this is one of those instances where the action is enhanced instead of the 3D detracting from it. At the top of my head, only the Vincent Price film House of Wax(also given the 3D treatment) has had that effect on me. The soundtrack is rousing and lively, though appropriately subdued in the more touching moments. The dialogue is very funny and extremely smart, with much to entertain children and adults. It is quite sophisticated in tone, although it thankfully doesn't feel too much. Amongst the humour, there's also room for some morals and family issues, and they are nicely done without being too heavy-handed. The story doesn't exactly break new ground and will seem formulaic to some. On the other hand, it is briskly paced, consistently engaging and is heart-warming in more ways than one. The prehystorical slapstick is frantic, but hilarious and never too childish. The characters are also a large part of the fun, they are very likable and amusing characters and you can relate to them. Grug and Guy's relationship was especially convincing. The voice work is great. A more restrained than usual Nicholas Cage is a big surprise and he is an ideal fit for his character. Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds are equally appealing, and Cloris Leachman relishes some of The Croods' most amusing moments. In conclusion, great colourful fun without being among the very finest from Dreamworks. 8/10 Bethany Cox