Surprisingly Good

Rating: 8/10 (6 July 2013)

The Croods
*** (out of 4)
98 mins/U
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Katherine Keener
Director: Chris Sanders
Plot: After their cave is destroyed, prehistoric family 'The Croods' go looking for a new home in a world of mystery and adventure.
JJ's Verdict: After hearing about this film I thought it would be bland, very unfunny and be full of boring voice work. However, coming out of the theatre, I realised it was the complete opposite. The film's animation is full of beautiful landscapes and colourful pre-historic animals, the humour, although slapstick, works very well and the voice work, particularly Nicolas Cage's overprotective Grug, is full of excitement and emotion. The film centres around the Croods who have to leave their cave and discover a new world with shoes, fire and umbrellas. The way they encounter these new objects are extremely funny and probably an accurate depiction of how people reacted to these things so many years ago. All in all, 'The Croods' is the best animated film since the 'Toy Story' trilogy and is perfect for children of all ages.