Man. Where do we come from? What are our origins? Some believe that the universe exploded here one day through the Big Bang Theory. With that bang came man. Others believe that we evolved from the ape family. One of the defining moments of this belief comes to us via Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Then there are others who believe in the Creation account. That one day God stood over the waters, in the midst of nothing, and created man and all around him in the span of six days, while resting on the seventh.
I feel like for me it’s interesting to note this conversation. I personally believe in the Creation account, though one of my favorite things to do is understand why people believe what they believe. I thrive on the discussions of just listening to people share their beliefs on religion and our origins. We’ve seen all three ideas explored in multiple mediums through comics, television and film alike. It’s ironic to note for as old as this debate is, there are really no “origin” stories that stand the test of time, except maybe the argument for Kubrick’s aforementioned 2001.
With so many conflicting thoughts and beliefs, mythology is birthed at the center. Such is the case for the 2013 movie, The Croods, which sees a family of six uprooted from their cave during an earthquake. Having to place their faith in a new friend, ironically named Guy (Ryan Reynolds), to get them to a new home. All while journeying through a terrain of new and terrifying creatures and land. While this movie is seven years old it went under the radar for me until now. A large portion of that comes from my divorce from movies in similar blood. That's just my personal taste. I've given movies of this variety several shots, like 2018's Early Man or the Jack Black comedy Year One.
In some ways, I feel The Croods rightfully lives with those expectations. The difference here is actually the cast and writing. Unlike Early Man or Year One, the humor within this family movie intertwines itself rather cleverly using modern day jokes. I found myself laughing a great deal more than I expected too. Some of that also comes through in the cast. The tension between father, Grug (Nicolas Cage), and Reynolds is perhaps one of the finer secret weapons of the movie. Yes, it can get mundane at times with the overprotective father and daughter dynamic. It's honestly the delivery and energy both Cage and Reynolds bring to these characters which helps set this prehistoric family aside from others.
While this is an animated feature, I believe that we’ve entered into this realm where nothing feels groundbreaking. The Croods echoes that in spades. Since 1995’s Toy Story, the animated features we’ve seen, at least on a mainstream level, have been on a 3D trajectory. In that sense, The Croods is the traditional formula we’ve come to expect out of these animated features. The same can really be said about the narrative. While the idea of searching for safety hits viewers on an emotional level - I will talk about that in just a few moments - it results in The Croods being predictable. Even the subplot we have with Reynolds and Emma Stone’s character, Eep, we have seen before in films like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. While this yields some truly hilarious results, it continues to give this movie it’s bland coating.
Overall, The Croods holds fast to some of its humor but otherwise falls down on the pantheon of DreamWorks forgettable other features. Nicolas Cage and Ryan Reynolds stand out among the cast with their father and daughter’s boyfriend dynamic, resulting in one of the strongest features of the movie. Nothing about The Croods really feels special. The animation is bland, the narrative is predictable and, by the end, the movie feels forgettable. The writing and use of modern day jokes into its prehistoric narrative proves that it does feature some intelligence. It just feels limited in what it’s actually doing.
RORSCHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: As I alluded to earlier, one of the more predominant themes of this movie is searching. Whether it is Eep searching for more out of life or The Croods as a family looking for a new home, we can all relate to that feeling of searching. Though it’s how we react to that feeling of searching that can literally come down to life or death. I see a bit of my former self in the character of Eep. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I remember going through the same feeling of emptiness at her age. One night, I can vividly recall lying awake in my bed drenched in overwhelming dread. My mind kept circling around this emptiness in my own life. It wouldn’t be the last time I have felt such things. Every time that I’ve come against such thoughts I’m plagued with the question, “what’s next?” A few times, that answer brought me to the tip of a blade upon my skin, waiting anxiously to feel satisfaction through the pouring of blood. While another time it brought me to the planning stage of what could have been my suicide. Most times, it brought me to pick up the phone and embrace community. Be vulnerable with your friends. Searching can lead to emptiness and emptiness can lead you right to the door of suicide. I would encourage you to please reach out to your friends, family, or even our resources. There are better ways. Never allow the feeling of searching to let you think you don’t matter or that suicide is your only option.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and you are struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message or tweet to us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey (and produced by) and more. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. The Croods is property of DreamWorks. We do not own nor claim any rights. The Croods is now streaming on Netflix.
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