Zengrrl's Movie Review: The Croods: A New Age (2020) .. #CroodsNewAge #MovieReview #FamilyFilms @Dreamworks

Released in theaters in early 2020, the animated family film The Croods: A New Age has debuted on PVOD at home, so I finally had a chance to see it.

The movie picks up following the events of 2013’s The Croods, with The Croods family, along with Guy and their pets Chunky and Douglas, continuing to find a new place to live.

Grug (the dad, voiced by Nicolas Cage) is not too happy at the budding romance between his daughter Eep (voiced by Emma Stone) and Guy (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), an orphan the family met in the first movie. So his secondary mission, after finding a new home, is to not give Eep and Guy any private time.

The Croods: A New Age

After finding a surprise field of food, the family is captured by what turns out to be another family, The Bettermans, comprised of dad Phil (voiced by Peter Dinklage), his wife Hope (voiced by Leslie Mann), and daughter Sandy (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran).

The Bettermans (get it? Better Man) are more evolved than The Croods. They farm (hence the field of food), have more modern conveniences, and a wall that surrounds their home to keep out wild animals and other threats.

And it turns out they were best friends with Guy’s deceased parents, and Guy and Sandy used to be best friends.

The Croods: A New Age

You’d expect that now Eep and Sandy would become mortal enemies for Guy’s affections, but surprisingly, the writers have the two become fast friends and buddy adventurers. Imagine that…two women not fighting over a man in a movie.

Trouble comes when Grug’s stomach and chafing at Phil’s rules get both of them, and Guy, in deep trouble with a gang of animals called “Punch-Monkeys,” and it’s up to the women of both families to rescue them.

The Croods: A New Age

I loved this movie on so many levels!!!

First, The Croods: A New Age is extremely hilarious, both with sight gags and witty dialogue that riffed on everything from family issues to modern day problems, but from a caveman viewpoint.

Second, there are some really great messages for the kids from how screen time can make you miss the real world, to a grass isn’t always greener situation, to the importance of family connections.

Third, Grug’s mother-in-law Gran (voiced by Cloris Leachman) has more than a few tricks and hidden secrets she’s been keeping from everybody. And her character is probably the funniest in the whole film.

Fourth, there is so much Girl Power in the last third of the film, they actually had me cheering for them! And I’m telling you (and Dreamworks Animation), I would watch a weekly series of these Thunder Sisters (especially since the film already gives them an awesome theme song courtesy of Haim, and a totally 70s/80s retro cartoon intro). Take a listlen:

Finally, as a soundtrack fan, this movie has some great tunes. In addition to Haim, Tenacious D stops by for a few tracks, including a fun cover of David Cassidy’s “I Think I Love You.”

I didn’t expect to love The Croods: A New Age as much as I did, but it’s definitely one of my favorite movies of the year.

I’m giving The Croods: A New Age a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Croods: A New Age

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THE CROODS: A NEW AGE

Director: Joel Crawford
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, Cloris Leachman, Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann, Kelly Marie Tran
Rated: PG

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About zengrrl

I'm Michelle Snow, the writer and creator of Zengrrl. I write about travel, entertainment, women's issues, health, body positivity, and more, both for this blog and freelance. I have also authored/co-authored four guidebooks on Orlando and Florida. If you aren't already following me, the links are below, as well as on the top right of this page. Thanks!