The Croods

-
The Croods
Starring Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Cloris Leachman
Directed by Kirk DeMicco & Chris Sanders

In a time when the world was one huge land mass, the life of a caveman was very dangerous.  That's why the Croods spend most of their time inside a cave - to avoid harm.  Led by the ever vigilant and frightened Grug (Nicolas Cage), the family lives a life of security...if you call that living.

For Eep (Emma Stone), she doesn't want to keep living that way (as she doesn't even consider it living, just existing).  So one night she ventures out of the safety of the cave and runs into Guy (Ryan Reynolds),who informs her of an incoming cataclysmic event, warning her to head to the mountains.

Not soon after, huge earthquakes occur and the cave is destroyed, but thankfully the family wasn't in it.  Led by Eep and Guy, the family travels to the mountains, all the while an apprehensive Grug sees danger at every turn and just wants his family safe, but at the cost of a possibly great adventure.

"The Croods" could easily be categorized as a traditional children's animated picture.  It's got everything all great animated films have - humor, heart, and adventure all mixed together with pinpoint accuracy and balanced parts.  And you could easily leave it at that.  However, there's more to this film than just simple mediocrity, and it lies within the stellar voice cast.

The cast brings the characters to a new life, simply more than just their stock character motives (the protective father, the rebellious daughter, the annoying mother-in-law).  They add a new depth that goes beyond that and leads you to care about them more than just their parts, but as a whole.  It also expresses the value of the family unit, something that is direly missing nowadays.  Plus it's just downright hilarious.

My Rating: A

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Major Theatrical Releases May 2019

-
Image
Major Theatrical Releases May 2019 After the hype that is "Avengers: Endgame," May offers a massive collection of differing types of movies, enough to entertain everyone. Here are the major theatrical releases for May 2019. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** **DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE**  The Intruder May 3 Dennis Quaid goes from starring the family-friendly "A Dog's Journey" to playing a total psycho in "The Intruder."  When a young couple purchases a home from Quaid's character Charlie, they didn't realize it came with an addition - Charlie himself, who can't seem to let his old home go.  I don't expect any twists or turns in this tale, and this looks like a film better fit for Lifetime than the big screen.  Long Shot May 3 Charlize Theron stars as Charlotte Field, the current Secretary of State and who's running for President.  Seth Rogen stars as Fred Flarsky, a...
Read more

Witch

-
Image
Witch Starring Russell Shaw, Ryan Spong, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Fabrizio Santino Directed by Craig Hinde & Marc Zammit Movies about witches are about a dime a dozen, and follow the same formula: typically set in a time period long ago (since now, fortunately, the stigma of witches has been lessened and the religious fervor has diminished), in a small Puritanical town, a girl is accused of witchcraft which spirals the town into a frenzy filled with suspicion, doubt, and murder until the witch is put to religious justice. While that's not necessarily a bad formula (Robert Eggers' "The VVitch" and Mario Bava's "Black Sunday" immediately come to mind), most films fall by the wayside. "Witch" is a small film that, at first glance, seems to follow the mold before completely shattering it in a second act twist that's daring, provocative, and works in a lot of levels, but could've been more pronounced if given a bigger budget. In the small ...
Read more

Special Review: "Midwest Sessions"

-
Image
Special Review: "Midwest Sessions" Directed by Mario Ricciardi Independent filmmaking is a fascinating concept, wherein the director and everyone involved sets out to make something unique, different, and go against the traditional status quo of what's defined as a "blockbuster." These films aren't usually seen by the masses and won't be included in the top ten highest grossing movies of all time, but they offer something those films don't: a heart and commitment by the people involved to craft something wholly distinctive that tell a story in their own way. Such is "Midwest Sessions," a local film directed by Mario Ricciardi that centers on the city of Youngstown, Ohio, and the captivating people who live there. Told in different vignettes that seem distinct and different from one another but coming together as a whole in the end, it's an engrossing film that utilizes its shoestring budget and gives great performances, decent effects a...
Read more