Thursday, March 21, 2013

Review: The Croods

This review is originally posted at Pinoyexchange.com. Check out the latest trailers, news, reviews and hottest discussions at http://www.pinoyexchange.com/movies

The Croods has all the elements that make for a fun time at the movies with your family. Yes, it is your typical animated adventure movie but that's nothing to be ashamed of as it manages to entertain without excesses.

Eep (Emma Stone) is a free spirit who wants to explore the world outside the comforts of their family cave. But Eep's father Grugg (Nicholas Cage) is overprotective as he believes that venturing the outside world will put their lives in jeopardy. But one day Eep sneaks out and meets Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a wanderer who informs her that the world is ending and they must go to a place where they can survive. Grugg is skeptical to take her family out of their comfort zone but he is left with no choice when their cave is destroyed by the impending doom.

The Croods opens with an exciting and hilarious food hunt and from that sequence alone one could easily tell that this movie is going to be an enjoyable ride. The storyline is your standard child/parent conflict wherein the kid wants to break away from a parent who have a hard time letting go and they go on an adventure to learn lessons about life. However, what separates The Croods from generic kid flicks is that it did not feel tired at all. Moreover, the movie's play for emotion was heartfelt while all the jokes landed down pat.

The visuals are striking and there's a lot of breathtaking scenery for our eyes to feast on. The character designs, particularly the various flaky creatures inhabiting the world, are imaginative. Crafty editing also enhanced the movie especially the funny moments. The voice work from the cast is strong with Cage shining the most as he proves that despite the bizarre roles he have taken in recent years he is still one of the best actors out there who can balance humor and heart perfectly.

The Croods may not be as remarkable as other recent animated features as it is a straightforward tale with no deeper theme to dissect but what it aims for, it does extremely well.

Rating: 9 / 10

The Croods opens in theaters everywhere tomorrow (March 22). 

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