The Croods: A New Age Review Roundup

​Ahh, Thanksgiving...A time for family, a time for Football, a time for tur...HOLD UP! We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in Jamaica, but as a lover of all things animation, I have been unable to escape taking part in the annually big Hollywood release. Last year we got Frozen 2, but this year it's all about the original Homosapien family as The Croods: A New Age releases today. So, is it a film to give thanks for this year? Or something that can be thrown out with the bad turkey? Here's the review roundup:

THE NEW YORK TIMES
'While Dawn and Eep become besties, the dueling dads negotiate the common ground between Grug’s vestigial Cro-Magnonism and Phil’s proto-metrosexuality. Paradoxically, the movie’s energy ebbs as the proceedings turn more antic. The culture clash comedy becomes secondary once “A New Age” introduces a tribe of pugnacious, subtitled monkeys who appear to have a fairly advanced society of their own.'

For the full review please visit here.

NEW YORK POST
'The film is overstuffed with comedy material, though. There’s a time-period-appropriate gag for everything — the TV is just a hole in the wall that they watch birds through — and the jokes are nonstop. The best moments of animated films are often the most serene. But as the CGI Wars between DreamWorks and Pixar go, I’ve sided with DreamWorks over the years because their wonderful movies such as “Shrek,” “How To Train Your Dragon” and “Kung Fu Panda” prize feelings over brains. Sure they’re smart, but, unlike much of Pixar, not card-carrying Mensa members. “The Croods” is a B-side for them in terms of creativity, however its heart is definitely not made of stone.'

For the full review please visit here.

IGN
'The Croods: A New Age is a mightily medium follow-up to the 2013 original. The voice cast is great and the jokes are the perfect type of clever, where both kids and adults can get a good laugh. The story and emotional stakes are a touch thinner this time but that's to be expected, for the most part, from this type of animated sequel.'

For the full review please visit here.

ROGER EBERT
'Every time that “The Croods: A New Age” feels like more than a generic retread, it returns to something safe and familiar. The irony is that these stories are about breaking out of a bubble—overprotective fathers who realize that the danger of the world is an essential part of growing up. If a third adventure surfaces for Grug, Eep, Guy, and the gang, one would hope that the filmmakers would take their own advice: The best movies are made by those willing to leave the pack.'

​For the full review please visit here.

VARIETY 
'For all its hyper-caffeinated energy and irreverence, the movie reduces to a relatively simple, square message: The family that sleep-piles together stays together. But scratch away at the prehistoric setup, and one might find an ugly parody of the cultural divide racking America in the year 2020, as a belligerent political divide finds the country torn between Croods and self-anointed (yet hypocritical) Bettermans.'

For the full review please visit here.

BEYOND THE TRAILER (VIDEO REVIEW)

In the end, the film amassed a critical score of 71% from 73 reviews. I personally hated the first film, but during a period in mankind's history where going to your local cinema can be a death sentence, you will have to really bring it. 

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