This is the story of a family of Neanderthals that live every day in fear. Everyone they knew had met an untimely end and Grug, the family's father is determined to keep them all alive. There are some problems in the form of teenage angst with Eep. Craving freedom she sneaks out one day and meets what I assume was Homoerectus, a guy named Guy. He tells her the end is coming and she tries to convince the family to follow Guy. The family is forced to go on an unwanted adventure, trying to conquer their fears in order to survive and, pardon the pun, evolve to a new life. This movie features some great actors providing the voices of the characters, but Nick Cage shines as this seems like a role he was meant to voice.

I read a review on here that said this film was "insensitive, rude and mis-educational". Not everything that our children watch needs to be educational. What is wrong with having fun? I suppose The Incredibles depicting super heroes living normal lives among us is educational? Or finding Nemo with talking fish and sharks that try not to eat fish, their sole source of nutrition? Stop taking life so serious. I feel sorry for the kids being raised like that. As for insensitive and rude, I do not get that either. Who would this movie insult? As far as I know Neanderthals are extinct. This family friendly movie showcases exactly how far a dad will go to protect his kids, and to me there is nothing more touching.

The Croods is a caveman family headed by Grug (Nicolas Cage). He avoids everything scary and they mostly hide in their cave. Only the daughter Eep (Emma Stone) isn't happy to be stuck in their cave. One night she wanders off and runs into Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a fire starting human. He's trying to escape the end of the world. Grug isn't happy but soon he finds himself slowly replaced as head of the family.

This is a great family movie with a loving message. The family is full of love, and there really isn't an evil character unless you count the animals trying to eat the family. It's message is a great one of family love.

The animation is colorful and well drawn. It is top of the line animation. The action is exciting. There is good humor and humanity in this. Everything works quite well. Good family fun.

Dreamworks have been hit and miss for me(mostly hits), while I love The Prince of Egypt and How to Train Your Dragon, Shark Tale and Bee Movie left me underwhelmed. Watching the trailer for The Croods, admittedly I wasn't entirely impressed. But as I love animation so much and because I believe in giving any film a chance, I went ahead and watched The Croods anyway. And it was much better than anticipated and what the trailer made it out to be, in fact I found myself liking The Croods very much. I did think that the ending was a cop-out, it seemed to me that the film didn't know how or when it was going to end and it seemed too convenient also. And I also thought that the film was a little too long, some of the story structure towards the end seemed on the verge of petering out. The animation however is really wonderful, it is detailed and very colourful with the character designs well modelled and convincing in movement. If you see The Croods, try and see it in 3D if you can, I am usually not a fan of the 3D gimmick but this is one of those instances where the action is enhanced instead of the 3D detracting from it. At the top of my head, only the Vincent Price film House of Wax(also given the 3D treatment) has had that effect on me. The soundtrack is rousing and lively, though appropriately subdued in the more touching moments. The dialogue is very funny and extremely smart, with much to entertain children and adults. It is quite sophisticated in tone, although it thankfully doesn't feel too much. Amongst the humour, there's also room for some morals and family issues, and they are nicely done without being too heavy-handed. The story doesn't exactly break new ground and will seem formulaic to some. On the other hand, it is briskly paced, consistently engaging and is heart-warming in more ways than one. The prehystorical slapstick is frantic, but hilarious and never too childish. The characters are also a large part of the fun, they are very likable and amusing characters and you can relate to them. Grug and Guy's relationship was especially convincing. The voice work is great. A more restrained than usual Nicholas Cage is a big surprise and he is an ideal fit for his character. Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds are equally appealing, and Cloris Leachman relishes some of The Croods' most amusing moments. In conclusion, great colourful fun without being among the very finest from Dreamworks. 8/10 Bethany Cox