There is genuine heart and an intriguing theme inside of The Croods, the latest from DreamWorks Animation. Directors Chris Sanders and Kirk De Micco have an odd confidence that oozes throughout, even during the film’s most lackluster moments. There is a darkness lingering just underneath the surface that one expects to rear up and fully reveal itself at any time. Yet, again and again, it dances away before things become too scary or too dreary. Something that is apparent, though, is that this recognized list of actors give a lot to create characters that are a bit different — in particular, the play on gender — how Eep (Emma Stone) is the powerful one, and her romantic interest whom she meets while exploring, Guy (Ryan Reynolds), is the softer, gentler soul. Yet, their curiosity and drive balance off one another. The exploration of fatherhood and safety, the paternal instinct to not let your kids explore because it could lead to danger or death, is one of the strongest themes. For 98 minutes, one takes the good with the bad and mostly comes away smiling.
When our journey begins, we follow Eep and her caveman family: overprotective father Grug (Nicolas Cage); the affable and encouraging middle-woman mom Ugga (Catherine Keener); the dopey brother Thunk (Clark Duke); the ever-present grandma and Grug’s thorn-in-the-side Gran (Cloris Leachman); ferocious baby Sandy (Randy Thom). They hunt at incredible speed, playing on the notion that cavemen were dumb, but incredibly fast and powerful. At times it evokes Dash from The Incredibles: they blur the scenery as each one of them, Gran included, play catch with a gigantic egg as they race from various predators. Each night, they sleep inside a cave with a giant boulder at the entrance to keep any predators away. This is life for the Croods, and it’s driving Eep wild. When she finds a reason to leave, she takes it.
Guy then masters fire with his faithful partner, a sloth named Belt. Together they seek a land that isn’t constantly crumbling and shifting under their feet. As most of us have learned through world history and geography class, the Earth was once a large continent named Pangea that shifted and drifted apart and gave us our current continents and this is what drives the Croods away from their home. So they find themselves stuck relying on Guy’s inventiveness and ideas. The further they get from home, the more out of place Grug feels, and soon enough his one charm that never fails, his storytelling, is outmatched by Guy as well. No longer the leader of his pack, and left feeling fairly useless, in addition to the way that Guy and Eep look at each other causes Grug to nearly lose it.
Fatherhood is definitely a hallmark here, and again and again we see how the film is both a focus on Eep and Guy, but also Grug. He’s the heart. He’s the change. He has the most to lose and is the force that drives the story forward most of the time. He’s stubborn because he isn’t a big thinker. What works once should work again. But as Eep puts it in one emotional moment, “That wasn’t living. That was not dying.” Yet, don’t let this fool you: The Croods still knows how to sugar coat all of these messages. The scenery once they leave behind the cave is lush and vivid. There’s moments where what you think is the prey turns out to be the predator, and even the most harmless looking thing can become vicious. The reluctance to go with standard creatures and instead create wild, colorful being that at times can appear to be randomized parts put together is an impressive choice. There’s a whale-like creature that walks on its tiny fins and a ferocious looking lion with spines up and down its back.
Additionally, there’s an impressive display of 3D technology at times, with one sequence early on focusing on embers from fire and a later scene of our characters against the backdrop of stars. The details and depth become rich and one is able to take in everything the impressive animators have created. Another key standout is Reynolds and the way he melts into the character of Guy. Gone is most of the cockiness you may recognize him for. This is a very low-key performance from him, and it actually took me a while to even place his voice. Even Cage does a grand job of keeping his known quirks at bay, but let’s it all hang out in one fun and over-the-top sequence as he plays the “cool guy.” However, let me not forget to mention the hilarious Belt, who is voiced by co-director Chris Sanders, and adds just the right touch of laugh in the perfect moment. He’s destined to be the most memorable character from The Croods, and that isn’t a negative.
One vexing moment in particular is how the characters interact with the fire once they’re presented with it. Sure, they know it’s dangerous, but it’s also new and exciting. Yet, they never seem to acknowledge its heat. Anyone that has ever been near an open flame knows of the powerful feeling of warmth and danger that emanates from it. Here, it seems to mainly be a source of illumination. Not once do you see them huddle around the flame for warmth or heat, something caveman likely found far more useful than sheer illumination. There’s also the way that we open the film and how the familiar story beats rarely surprise you. The journey really takes off once we get the Croods to leave their cave for good. Overall, The Croods is a welcome adventure with some fun and quirky moments throughout. There’s sheer inventiveness in the animals and flora, while still retaining a charm and down to earth story that is easy to relate to for grown-ups and kids. The latest from DreamWorks Animation may not last long in your memory, but the ride is worth it just the same.
The Croods is now in wide release.