[Review] The Croods: A New Age(2020) {6.5/10}

Directed by Joel Crawford (in his feature directorial debut) with a screenplay penned by Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, Paul Fisher, and Bob Logan, the film stars Nicolas Cage (Grug Crood), Emma Stone (Eep Crood), Ryan Reynolds (Guy), Catherine Keener (Ugga Crood), Clark Duke (Thunk Crood) and Cloris Leachman (Gran) reprise their roles from the first film alongside new additions to the cast including Peter Dinklage (Phil Betterman), Leslie Mann (Hope Betterman), and Kelly Marie Tran (Dawn Betterman).

The plot follows the titular family after they leave their cave and set off in search of a new home. When they find a lush, predator-free utopia, they think their worries are over. The only problem is that the more evolved Bettermans already live there. What initially seems like the recipe for companionship turns into competition -- and it turns out that the Bettermans' walled community isn't as safe as they thought.

This Stone Age family comedy is a bit rocky: It has lots of laughs, but it lacks the originality of its predecessor. The film picks up from the point of view of Guy, who's joined the Croods' pack and is engaged in a full-blown, butterflies-in-the-stomach, goo-goo eyes romance with Eep. Where before Grug was worried about adventurous Eep's safety because she wanted to explore outside the safety of their cave, now he's worried that she'll leave the pack, so he discourages her relationship with Guy. It's a tired cliché and a bit of a strange choice as the plot for a kids' film. And then the Croods meet another family, the Bettermans, who try to steal Guy as a partner for their own daughter, Dawn. On the other hand, Eep and Dawn don't take the bait and fight over a boy -- instead, they become friends. While Dawn is drawn in a more traditionally "cute" way, Guy never stops loving his tough, wild girlfriend. And Eep's rough physical nature which has resulted in scars and missing digits is shown to be cool, evidence of a life well-lived. While the original movie helped bring to light the realization that it's something of a miracle humans ever survived the prehistoric elements, this one is lighter on reality. The saber-toothed tigers and mastodons are replaced with spiderwolves and primates that communicate by getting socked in the arm or face. So, educational, it is not. But for a couple of hours of leave-your-brain-at-the-door fun, it's fine.

The Croods: A New Age is now available on Digital and Blu-ray.