The Croods: A New Age (2020)

It might not be as heartwarming as the original, but The Croods: A New Age works in successfully continuing the story of the first family of cave-dwelling, affectionately named The Croods, takes a GIANT leap of faith into the unknown (by following the light) in this charming sequel from DreamWorks Animation.

"It’s not as good as the original - which is to be expected - but the jokes continue to work as our caveman crew find out how to communicate with Punch Monkeys, the protection of the Thunder Sisters and the endless appeal of Banana Brothers"


Continuing to extend the “so easy a caveman can do it” metaphor from those now-retired GEICO commercials, The Croods: A New Age presents audiences with a teenage love story at the beginning - as Eep’s hunk of a male specimen love interest (appropriately) named Guy (Ryan Reynolds) takes over the narrative duties, letting Emma Stone as Eep do the swooning this time as he runs into a family he thought lost and forgotten in the tar pits of the past - and then as a out-of-the-frying-pan-and-into-the-fire adventure at the end.  While it doesn't have the same heart or humor oiling it, the sequel works as distraction.

Because the neurotically protective Grug (smartly voiced once again by Nicolas Cage) has more than a few things on his small brain as finds himself once again threatened by Eeep’s growing love for Guy and then, after stumbling into a gooey and hippy-dippy Garden of Eden, the new family on the New Age scene: the groovy Bettermans, Phil (Peter Dinklage) and Hope (Leslie Mann) and their teenage daughter, Dawn (Kelly Marie Tran).  They make funny foes, but better friends . . . in the long run.The Croods: A New Age (2020)

Once again, Grug and his family - which includes wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), son Thunk (Clark Duke), daughter Eep (Emma Stone), mother-in-law (Cloris Leachman, who steals the show from Cage), a terror-causing youngster named Sandy, and their pets – find their way of life unexpectedly threatened by this new family's selfish ways. 

Directed by Joel Crawford and written by way too many people, The Croods: A New Age was originally made available On Demand due to the Covid-19 crisis, but now arrives on blu-ray thanks to Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, complete with new short films, the award-winning short To: Gerard, deleted scenes, and audio commentary.  While the movie might leave you wanting a bit more of everything (like the original creator's input), the blu-ray release satisfies those caveman cravings.

We might not have needed this sequel, but we got it anyway.  It’s not as good as the original - which is to be expected - but the jokes continue to work as our caveman crew find out how to communicate with Punch Monkeys, the protection of the Thunder Sisters and the endless appeal of Banana Brothers in yet another wild ride through the past with a much-needed lesson about acceptance thrown in.

The Croods have survived the end of the world, but can they survive another family?  Find out in The Croods: A New Age, now on blu-ray from Universal Home Entertainment.

3/5 stars

 The Croods: A New Age (2020)

Blu-ray Details

Home Video Distributor: Universal
Available on Blu-ray
- February 23, 2021
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles
: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio:
English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

The Croods need a new place to live. So, the first prehistoric family sets off into the world in search of a safer place to call home. When they discover an idyllic walled-in paradise that meets all their needs, they think their problems are solved … except for one thing. Another family already lives there: the Bettermans. The Bettermans (emphasis on the “better”)—with their elaborate tree house, amazing inventions and irrigated acres of fresh produce—are a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder. When they take the Croods in as the world’s first houseguests, it isn’t long before tensions escalate between the cave family and the modern family. Just when all seems lost, a new threat will propel both families on an epic adventure outside the safety of the wall, one that will force them to embrace their differences, draw strength from each other and forge a future together.

Video: 

The Croods arrives on Blu-ray in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio with a1080p/MPEG-4 encode. The 2D transfer is quite a stunner featuring all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a brand new computer-animated feature. Everything is razor sharp; from hair to facial features, to clothing and creature skins. There are some changes in the character designs (as the technology has gotten better in the years since the original film), but, thankfully, there is more depth to the features and to the surroundings.  The backgrounds are not as dark as the original and practically burst with colors and flavor as everything looks leafy and inviting in The Croods: A New Age.

Audio:

On the other hand, the 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is exactly what you’d expect. Music and dialogue come through crystal clear while the surrounds take full advantage of sweeping you into DreamWorks Animation’s world.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • There is a feature length commentary with Director Joel Crawford, Producer Mark Swift, Head of Story Januel Mercado and Editor Jim Ryan.

Special Features:

The release includes the Blu-ray, a DVD and a digital copy of The Croods: A New Age, as well as a commentary, two NEW shorts, a gag reel, a short film, deleted scenes, and much, much more.  

  • Dear Diary: World's First Pranks
  • Family Movie Night: Little Red Bronana Bread
  • Gag Reel
  • To: Gerard
  • Deleted Scenes
  • The Croods' Family Album
  • The Evolution Of...
  • How to Draw: Caveman Style
  • Famileaf Album
  • Stone Age Snack Attack

Blu-ray Rating

  Movie 3/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 4/5 stars
  Extras 3/5 stars

Overall Blu-ray Experience

3.5/5 stars


Film Details

The Croods: A New Age (2020)

MPAA Rating: PG for peril, action and rude humor.
Runtime:
94 mins
Director
: Chris Addison
Writer:
Mark Frost, Daniel F. Bacaner
Cast:
Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds
Genre
: Animation | Adventure | Family
Tagline:
All in a Day's Survival.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Tomorrow doesn't have to be a place. It's a person. It's you, Eep. You are my tomorrow!"
Theatrical Distributor:
Universal Pictures
Official Site: https://www.dreamworks.com/movies/the-croods-2
Release Date:
November 20, 2020
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
February 23, 2021.
Synopsis: The prehistoric family the Croods are challenged by a rival family the Bettermans, who claim to be better and more evolved.

Art

The Croods: A New Age (2020)