That’s what we’ve come to expect from these kinds of family-friendly animated friends, right? Middle-of-the-road visuals with a middle-of-the-road story. “The Croods” does transcend those limitations in its creation of a prehistoric world, complete with blue tigers, birds with razor teeth, dogs with huge jaws, gorgeous (and huge) flowers, barren deserts, and lush jungles; each scene has extensive detail, and you could probably amuse yourself just by watching the animation. And you might have to do that, honestly, because the story is fairly, disappointingly straightforward.
“The Croods” focuses on the “very first prehistoric family,” led by caveman Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage, of “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” “Drive Angry,” “Season of the Witch,” “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” “Kick-Ass,” and “G-Force”), who is unbelievably averse to change and refuses to allow his family to do anything he considers dangerous or reckless. He’s used to how things are, to the established order and to being leader, and he doesn’t want anything to change that. But he is challenged by his daughter Eep (voiced by Emma Stone, of “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “The Help,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love.,” “Friends with Benefits,” “Easy A,” and “Zombieland”), who chafes at her father’s constricting view of life. She wants something different, to go out and see the world, and when she meets Guy (voice of Ryan Reynolds, of “Ted,” “Safe House,” “The Change-Up,” “Green Lantern,” and “Buried”), it seems like he’s the perfect guy for her. He’s not afraid of fire, he uses it. He doesn’t rely on brute force or strength, but employs tools and craftsmanship. If Eep wants someone to follow into the future, it’s going to be Guy.
And so this raises the classic questions we’re used to about the meaning of family, the overprotection of children by their parents, and when it’s time to let go and let live. But “The Croods” has very little to say about any of those things; instead, the plot mostly relies on chases, external threats, and physical humor to move the plot forward. Characters fall of cliffs. Characters are threatened by one another. Characters are afraid of fire. The film becomes, then, a series of action set pieces that are continuously moved around and repeated. There’s no nuance to the configuration.
“The Croods” does better on the smaller scale, in the little jokes that you get along the way. The creature Belt who the Croods use as a kind of fashion accessory is good value, as is a “bath” for the family, during which the family has the dust beaten off of them. Those kind of subversive definitions for accustomed things in our world give “The Croods” a kind of cheeky flair, but nevertheless, the film can’t find a consistent tone. Perhaps it’s because there’s no villain for the family to work against, and no clear delineation of the upcoming threat faced by the Croods—is it the end of the world? The beginning of something new? And why should either of those things matter?
So ultimately “The Croods” becomes a fairly inoffensive way to revisit established themes about the father-daughter relationship, the development of romantic love, and the inability to stop change. It’s not original, but it sure is pretty.
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