Die Croods

In my life as a parent of a 10 and 12 year old, I have been to see a lot of animated kids movies, some of them quite painful to sit through. This one ranks at the top. The action, the humor, the characters, the plot, all rolled up in to a big ball of fun. I was belly laughing with my kids the whole way through it. And the message is lovely to boot. Excellent casting...the chemistry between the characters stood out in a way I never thought a cartoon could, no doubt due to the talent of the actors and standout animation (not something that I'm usually all that dazzled by.) It was the interaction, along with thoughtful humor of what is important in life, that really put this over the top for me. The complete implausibility of the plot didn't even mildly annoy me, the way stories of this genre sometimes do.

I could actually stand to watch this a second time. Well done Hollywood, please put this level of thought in to more children's movies.

Dreamworks have been hit and miss for me(mostly hits), while I love The Prince of Egypt and How to Train Your Dragon, Shark Tale and Bee Movie left me underwhelmed. Watching the trailer for The Croods, admittedly I wasn't entirely impressed. But as I love animation so much and because I believe in giving any film a chance, I went ahead and watched The Croods anyway. And it was much better than anticipated and what the trailer made it out to be, in fact I found myself liking The Croods very much. I did think that the ending was a cop-out, it seemed to me that the film didn't know how or when it was going to end and it seemed too convenient also. And I also thought that the film was a little too long, some of the story structure towards the end seemed on the verge of petering out. The animation however is really wonderful, it is detailed and very colourful with the character designs well modelled and convincing in movement. If you see The Croods, try and see it in 3D if you can, I am usually not a fan of the 3D gimmick but this is one of those instances where the action is enhanced instead of the 3D detracting from it. At the top of my head, only the Vincent Price film House of Wax(also given the 3D treatment) has had that effect on me. The soundtrack is rousing and lively, though appropriately subdued in the more touching moments. The dialogue is very funny and extremely smart, with much to entertain children and adults. It is quite sophisticated in tone, although it thankfully doesn't feel too much. Amongst the humour, there's also room for some morals and family issues, and they are nicely done without being too heavy-handed. The story doesn't exactly break new ground and will seem formulaic to some. On the other hand, it is briskly paced, consistently engaging and is heart-warming in more ways than one. The prehystorical slapstick is frantic, but hilarious and never too childish. The characters are also a large part of the fun, they are very likable and amusing characters and you can relate to them. Grug and Guy's relationship was especially convincing. The voice work is great. A more restrained than usual Nicholas Cage is a big surprise and he is an ideal fit for his character. Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds are equally appealing, and Cloris Leachman relishes some of The Croods' most amusing moments. In conclusion, great colourful fun without being among the very finest from Dreamworks. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I was talked into seeing this, and I have to shout it out, because it is a RIOT! I don't write many reviews, but when I love a film, I have to. If I have any complaint on this one, it's the title. I expected gross-out humor ("crude"). There isn't any, really. It's actually extremely unpredictable, subtle and extremely smart humor.

It has a story arc that you begin to somewhat anticipate, but you don't feel you're being patronized. Instead, you're left feeling that very intelligent people put this thing together in hopes that everyone would find something to love about it.

The cast is great, the animation is fun, and it's non-dizzying 3-D.

When I saw it, the entire audience clapped at the end, because we were entertained throughout, and found the ending really satisfying.

What else? Sweet emotions crop up because we can all relate to the family dynamics. Every family has the screw-up, the salt of the earth, the rebel, and the stubborn one. And it has one of the funniest babies ever put on film. A baby unlike any baby you'll ever see anywhere.

Very, very funny. Definitely recommend.

I have never written a review on a movie before no matter how good or bad. But this movie really deserves high praise! I had brought the kids to see a few other animated movies before this like Wreck-it Ralph and Rise of the Guardian, but they turned out to be somewhat boring and unengaged. So I went into this not expecting much, it was more for the kids. To my surprise, I LOVED IT! It's different, funny, smart, and adventurous. I found myself giggling through most of the movies and at other times astounded by the visual effects. I also see my kids and other kids sitting at the edge of their seats at times. It is great for all ages. The picture was stunning and saturated with imagination. Dreamworks has outdone themselves with this one. I highly recommend taking your family to see this!

No doubt aimed at the younger audience, it's still a good movie for adults.

It has good animation, and good humour.