Searching for a safer habitat, the prehistoric Crood family discovers an idyllic, walled-in paradise that meets all of its needs. Unfortunately, they must also learn to live with the Betterman’s — a family that’s a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder. As tensions between the new neighbors start to rise, a new threat soon propels both clans on an epic adventure that forces them to embrace their differences, draw strength from one another, and survive together.
After seven years, Eep (Emma Stone), Grug (Nicolas Cage), and the rest of the Crood family are back in “The Croods: A New Age”. The movie starts off with a little scene with Guy (Ryan Reynolds) as a child and how he came to be out on his own in the world. It goes on to talk about the romance between Epp and Guy, and fast tracks you through the entire first movie The Croods (2013). In their never-ending trek “to the light”, the Croods eventually meet Phil (Peter Dinklage) and Hope (Leslie Mann) Betterman, and their teenage daughter, Dawn (Kelly Marie Tran). Much like Guy, the Betterman’s are an evolutionary step ahead of the Croods, and they also happen to be old friends of Guys parents.
After a short reunion, I instantly thought there would be some friction between Eep and Dawn, that there would be some type of love triangle going on as they vied for Guy’s attention. However, the major issues were really between Phil and Hope vs. Grug and Ugga as they try to fit into their brand new surroundings and try to get along with people who are completely opposite to them. Thunk, Gran, and Sandy get some screen time but nothing like they did in the first movie. I will say even though their time on screen is pretty limited they made sure everything with them made you chuckle.
Even though we have the back and forth tensions with Phil and Grug, there is a bigger problem brewing that threatens to destroy the paradise that the Betterman’s spent their lives building to keep their daughter safe. Whether you’ve seen the first movie or not, The Croods: A New Age is a fantastic family film that kids and adults will certainly enjoy.
