Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
Plot: The prehistoric family the Croods are challenged by a rival family the Bettermans, who claim to be better and more evolved.
Review: I had a lot of laughs with the first Croods movie so I was delighted to hear they were releasing a sequel. So did it live up to first film? For me it most certainly did and then some!
The entire voice cast returns here and one of the things I admired the first time around was how perfect the choices were for these characters. It’s easy to picture live action versions with Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds and Cloris Leachman (just to name a few) in these roles. They do such a wonderful job of adding life to their respective roles as Grugg, Eep, Guy and Gran, and in this sequel, the hits just keep on coming. The Bettermans are voiced by Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann and Kelly Marie Tran and once again, voice casting is pitch perfect, especially that of Peter Dinklage as Phil Betterman. There is just something about his condescending tone (with a heavy dash of humour of course) that had me smiling every time he spoke.
But the actors aren’t the only ones adding to the quality of this sequel. The story picks up right where the first one left off, with the Croods looking for a new home, a place Guy calls Tomorrow. There’s a beautiful message here, more than one if I’m counting, about what the future or “tomorrow” can mean to different people. Sometimes it’s a place, and sometimes it’s the people we meet who make our lives better.
They also touch on the importance of not judging others based on their different cultures and beliefs and how dangerous it is to build “walls”, because in doing so, you might not just be blocking new experiences out by locking yourself in a prison of your own making. Heavy stuff, but it all unfolds in a funny, high energy manner that can be enjoyed by both adults and kids alike. There was also some great female empowerment stuff woven into this as well in a way that never felt forced or cringe-worthy. Kudos all around.
The animation is gorgeous, just like the first film, and I loved the little touches of modern life, but with an early man twist on it. The window as a television was just one of the smart touches here, and the crazy designs of the prehistoric creatures, like the Spider-Wolves and Punch Monkeys, is sure to please younger audiences.
The Croods: The New Age was exactly what I look for in sequels such as these — great world building, bigger laughs (I laughed a lot watching this one folks) and great energy. This one is sure to be fun for the whole family.
Sommer’s Score: 8 out of 10
For my review of Trolls World Tour you can click here.
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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