The Croods: A New Age

The Croods have survived their fair share of dangers and disasters from fanged prehistoric beasts to watching their daughter get heart eyes over a new boyfriend. But now they face something that will shake their pack to its core and make them reconsider everything they hold true: another family.

The Croods need a new place to live. So the first prehistoric family sets off into the world in search of a safer place to call home. When they discover an idyllic walled-in paradise that meets all their needs they think their problems are solved ... except for one thing. Another family already lives there: the Bettermans.

The Bettermans (emphasis on the "better")-with their elaborate tree house amazing inventions and irrigated acres of fresh produce-are a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder. When they take the Croods in as the world's first houseguests it isn't long before tensions reach a breaking point.

Just when all seems lost a new threat will propel both families on an epic adventure outside the safety of the wall one that will force them to embrace their differences draw strength from each other and forge a future together.

The Croods: A New Age features the voice talent of returning stars Nicolas Cage as Grug Crood Catherine Keener as Ugga Crood Emma Stone as their daughter Eep; Ryan Reynolds as Eep's boyfriend Guy; Clark Duke (Hot Tub Time Machine) as Thunk and Cloris Leachman as Gran. They're joined by new stars Peter Dinklage (HBO's Game of Thrones) as Phil Betterman Leslie Mann (Blockers) as Hope Betterman and Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: Episode VIII-The Last Jedi) as their daughter Dawn.

Release Date: 26/12/2020
Running Time: 95 mins
Director Joel Crawford
Cast: Ryan Reynolds Kat Dennings Emma Stone Cloris Leachman Catherine Keener Clark Duke Leslie Mann Nicolas Cage

OFFICIAL TRAILER

REVIEW

While it did take Croods producers over seven years to drum up a sequel to their 2013 animated hit it's clear they didn't spend much of that time thinking up a fresh scripting idea or two.

The new movie is always bright and colourful in the visual department but often dim and drab in the story sector.

This time around that caveman clan the Croods is pitched against some better-resourced rivals named the Bettermans. From their posher position up the evolutionary scale the Bettermans keep looking down upon the Croods until both must join forces to stave off the looming threat of attack by a weird super-species known as Punch-Monkeys .

There are fleeting sequences charged with undeniable fun children will truly love and flat spots where parents will wish the blasted thing would hurry up and end already.

This review by LEIGH PAATSCH is from the December 24 2020 issue of The Herald Sun Digital Edition. To subscribe visit https://www.heraldsun.com.au/.