The Croods: A New Age

Okay... this has got to be one of the most exhilarating and bubbly animated movie ever made. Thankfully I was just in the mood for something perky, not too childish but not too sober, so overall it was a positive experience.

They really weren't kidding about "a new age". The tale presumably takes place in early prehistoric times, but really it reflects way more on our contemporary society than it does to people living in the stone age. Expect tons and tons of hilarious references to modern culture and society sprinkled throughout the movie.

I definitely had my laughs. However, some ideas/references/analogies could come off as a bit forced or rushed or just plain cringey. For example, Thunk's abrupt realization that the "window" is a distorted view of reality was honestly a cringey attempt to convey the concept of media bias. There's also the much toned down but still palpable feminist agenda (e.g. WYMEN!). And then there are all these other random instances of modern analogies that just seem to develop out of nowhere (e.g. the 'bro love' scene with Grug and Phil, etc).

These instances may not detract from the movie, especially not for kids, but it still gives this movie a bitter aftertaste; you could tell that this movie was made in 2020.

Also lastly-and it has to do with the plot-I was quite disappointed that that Dawn Betterman didn't have much of a role compared to all the other characters. I feel like she could've used a bit more spotlight.

Overall I would have liked the movie even more if they didn't cram so much of these random and unnecessary tie-ins to modern ideas and principles. It just complicates a rather simple plot.