The Croods: A New Age
By Tara McNamara,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Prehistoric cartoon sequel has slapstick, rude humor.
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The Croods: A New Age
Community Reviews
Based on 17 parent reviews
Disappointed
What's the Story?
THE CROODS: THE NEW AGE follows the titular family -- Eep (voiced by Emma Stone), Grug (Nicolas Cage), Ugga (Catherine Keener), Gran (Cloris Leachman), and foundling Guy (Ryan Reynolds) -- 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 -- Hope (Leslie Mann), Phil (Peter Dinklage), and Dawn (Kelly Marie Tran) -- 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.
Is It Any Good?
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.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what "stronger together" means in terms of surviving as a pack. How does that message connect to a modern-day family?
Talk about the courage of the Thunder Sisters. Why is it important to show women working together and, at times, being the ones to rescue men? What makes teamwork an important life skill?
What do the Bettermans and the Croods learn about each other over the course of the movie? How do their conflicts show the dangers of making assumptions about people who might be different from you?
How historically accurate is The Croods: The New Age? How could you find out more about prehistoric facts? How important is it for animated, fictional movies to stick close to history? What do you imagine it would really have been like if Neanderthals and Homo sapiens met up?
Does this sequel measure up to the earlier film? Why, or why not? What do you think makes a sequel successful?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 25, 2020
- On DVD or streaming: February 23, 2021
- Cast: Emma Stone , Ryan Reynolds , Nicolas Cage
- Director: Joel Crawford
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Universal Pictures
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Adventures , Friendship
- Character Strengths: Courage , Teamwork
- Run time: 96 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: peril, action and rude humor
- Last updated: December 22, 2023
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