A sequel to the timidly received 2013 film “The Croods” has arrived and it has far more in common with the original film than one might think. Not in terms of plot or characters, but in terms of quality.
The sequel picks up somewhere after the first film and follows the Croods, a family of barbaric cave people, and Guy, a smart loner who joined their pack in the first film, finding a walled in oasis home run by the Betterman, a family of far more evolved and intelligent people.
It isn’t worth recapping the plot for numerous reasons. For starters, things get so completely ridiculous by the end of the film that it becomes impossible to guess what’s coming next. It’s an odd strength that the film gains in its latter half; the writers have thrown everything at the wall and just go with what sticks. It results in an erratic and bizarre second half, and while its hard to tell if its necessarily good, it definitely isn’t boring.
This leaves the first half as the weaker part of the film mainly because it retreads so much ground from other films of its ilk. If you’ve seen any other film, animated or not, with an “outsider tries to be accepted by normal people” plot, you’ve seen this film, the first half at least. Director Joel Crawford (“Trolls,” “The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part”) and the film’s six; Dan Hageman (“The LEGO Movie,” “Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia”), Kevin Hageman (“The LEGO Movie,” “Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia”), Paul Fisher (“The LEGO Ninjago Movie,” “Abominable”), Bob Logan (“The LEGO Ninjago Movie”), Kirk DeMicco (“Space Chimps,” “The Croods”), Chris Sanders (“Lilo & Stitch,” “How to Train Your Dragon”), credited writers try to inject so freshness into the events but fail to excite in a meaningful way.
So, if the first half of the film is just passable and the second half is bonkers and maybe better, what’s the draw for anyone about the age of six? Well, like the first film, the voice cast does an excellent job at bringing these characters and the world to life.
Nicolas Cage (“National Treasure,” “Face/Off”) gives a full-throated vocal performance here and its just excellent, as do Catherine Keener (“Being John Malkovich,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”), Emma Stone (“La La Land,” “Zombieland”), and Ryan Reynolds (“Crazy Stupid Love,” “Deadpool”). It’s worth pointing out that, more so than other animated films, the vocal performances go beyond just celebrities barely acting to collect a paycheck. Like the previous film, there’s a real effort put into these guttural roles and it lends them a texture that would’ve been sorely missed had it not been there.
However, these are the actors who were already great in the previous film. How do the new additions fair? Well, of the three new ones Leslie Mann (“This is 40,” “Blockers”) is the closest to phoning it in. She does get her moment to shine, but it doesn’t come until much later in the film. Kelly Marie Train (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Sorry for Your Loss”) gets more to work with and delivers some excellent rebellious teenager moments as the film progresses. Yet, the one actor who shines above nearly all others here is Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”). His character of Phil Betterman is a slimy guy for sure, but Dinklage relishes in each and every line like its his last meal, becoming possibly the first example of a scenery chewing performance in an animated film.
Like the first film and nearly every other multi-million-dollar animated feature, the world of the Croods is extremely gorgeous to behold. Bright colors and bizarre creature design leap from every fold of the world and look absolutely stunning. This is a film that is plainly and simply gorgeous and will surely become a showpiece for home theatres and 4K HDR for some time.
“A New Age” has one big asset and that’s its over the top weirdness. While it might not be much to write home about in its basic plot, the things that come up are extremely weird in the best way possible. Some of the highlights include a heavy metal-infused big hair female warrior group, portable windows, an abundance of bananas, “Banana Bros,” and some Stepford Wives style gas-lighting. It also continues to thrive thanks to a delightful sense of slapstick roughness that, like in the first film, lends the entire film a delightful classic Hanna Barbara kind of wackiness.
This is a weird film to be sure, and whether or not its any good, its definitely not boring. Bolstered by a great voice cast, incredibly colorful visuals, and an overabundance of weirdness, “The Croods: A New Age” is a pleasant adventure that manages to distract for just long enough to be enjoyable. A tighter and more well balance plot could’ve definitely made things go smoother, but as it stands, it’s an alright adventure. Good? That’s up for debate, but enjoyable? Definitely. 3/5
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