Season 1, Autumn 2013, Movie Review #2: The Croods

   Well, it's been a while since I posted any media reviews--that bothersome thing called 'life' distracted my attention for a bit, but I'm making up for that by posting not one but two movie reviews today, back to back, starting with one I saw two days ago, The Croods.


PART ONE: THE PLOT

   
   Kill circle! Never, not, be, afraid!
Sloping foreheads, a stunning lack of curiosity and ideas, and bare feet: the Croods, a family of Cavemen barely surviving in a day in, day out exercise of hunting and fleeing back to the home cave.
   There's Grug, the protective father and head of the family, Ugga, his wife, Thunk, their goofy son, Sandy, their tenacious, violent little girl, Gran, Grug's mother-in-law, and last but not least, Eep, their oldest daughter on the brink of womanhood.
   Unlike the rest of her family, Eep has a little dangerous thing Grug calls 'curiosity'. Longing for something more than the dark and empty existence inside the home cave, Eep leaves it against her father's command and meets a handsome stranger, Guy, who serves only to intensify her curiosity.
   But when their home cave is destroyed, the Croods find they need far more than their raw strength, and must rely on Guy to lead them to a mystical place called 'Tomorrow', far away through foreign terrain and countless obstacles to survive the coming end of the world.


PART TWO: THE REVIEW

   I have to admit, when I saw the trailer for this movie, I was not interested--I thought it looked like some kind of weird Flintstones rehash.

   But I was very wrong.
Reminiscent of the breathtaking animation and touching storytelling of How To Train Your Dragon,
The Croods far exceeded my expectations. I wish I could tell you what my favorite scene of the movie was, but that would be a spoiler, and obviously on this blog there are No Spoilers Allowed. But I can tell you the things I loved best about it.
   As a huge ancient history reader, I've always wondered what it must have felt like to be that lonely caveman making paintings on stone walls, like Grug, or to be the man who led mankind to 'Tomorrow' like Guy. Both of those curiosities were aroused and then satisfied while watching this movie, and the rest was even better. Eep's wild, curious personality, Grug's over-protectiveness and lack of said curiosity, matched with Guy's personal agenda for innovation make for a fun ride! A wild lot, it's almost pointless to say it's hilarious watching how the Croods relate when stuck together in a dark cave or on a long, arduous trek across country, filled with deadly creatures, cute little pals (My two favorites are the multi-color saber tooth and Belt, Guy's sloth pal and, er...Belt) and a whole lot of adventure.

  But despite their shortcomings, the Croods all show a very serious loyalty towards each other, working together to solve every problem that crosses their path and mostly enjoying each other's company along the way. Grug's instinctive and deep love for his family is shown over and over again, and more than once he puts his life on the line for his family. But ultimately it comes down to the classic triangle between father, daughter and boy, and from there stems the conflict keeping the story going and bringing The Croods to life.

PART THREE: CONTENT REPORT

   The end of the world is nothing to be tampered with, and that is a pervasive overhanging threat in the story. Cataclysmic precursors of continental divide occur sporadically throughout the movie, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions etc. and ultimately the divide itself. The Croods family wield weapons (of sorts) use traps (of sorts) and engage in battle with the potential meals they hunt, whacking and shoving each other to get at the prey. The violence in the movie is pretty tame, shown in a sort of cartoonish way (example, Grug gets smashed under a boulder and is totally fine afterward). Stories and oral retellings about death, real or fictional, occur, and the as aforesaid the characters face death time and again as the nearing catastrophe threatens their existence. One scene involves a flock of birds eating through land-whale meat like a chainsaw, though nothing is shown, and another shows the Croods accidentally catching fire to everything in sight.

PART FOUR: RATING AND CONCLUSION

I give it....Four and a half stars, shying from five only because of a few tiny cliches and cheesy lines. Other than that, I love the movie. Like I said, it feels a lot like How To Train Your Dragon, probably because it's the same creators, and that movie is WAY high up on my favorites/top ten list. My mom called it cute, and my dad laughed and liked it, so I think it's safe to say it's a good movie for all ages.
   So if you're hesitating to see it because you think it looks like the Flintstones, think again, and go watch this movie.
   Thou shalt like it, I do believe.
So until then,
Peace.
Matt~