It’s a cold winter afternoon and I am riding along with the man who would mean more to me in a couple years. For now, we are estranged acquaintances at best. The radio is killing the silence as it professes its love for the hippies who once danced to its music. I am nervous; internally shaking. Forming sentences that haven’t found air yet as they dance with butterflies who are currently making me sick. I clear my throat at an attempt to overpower the soundtrack to a decade riddled in free love. He looks over. “I’d like to ask you a question, if I may.” I say.

His eyes are balanced between myself and the road ahead. He acknowledges me ever so slightly. At this I proceed. “Well, the thing is.” I mutter out continuously tripping along my words. Why didn’t they find form better in their tango with my butterflies? I proceed to stumble until a thought vaguely resembling my desire to marry this man’s daughter finally gives way. There is an awkward tension in the air. I break it by asking for his blessing. The awkward tension repeats itself once more. He proceeds to lay out his terms and conditions for me to secure his blessing, before proceeding to a decision on religion. Full disclosure, it probably is worth noting that at this point in my life. I had no license, car or apartment. As far as jobs were considered I was a missionary. I was relying on faith and the generosity of others.

I’ve been happily married for nearly seven years now. I love my wife and she is absolutely worth those awkward moments. Sometimes coming into new families is hard. Sometimes spouses don’t always get along with their in-laws but there is this underlying notion that they want the best for their offspring. When Guy (Ryan Reynolds) entered into the life of Eep (Emma Stone) in the first The Croods movie, Grug (Nicolas Cage) knew some chances would arise. Now with their sequel in A New Age, the prehistoric family finally finds the land of Tomorrow. Upon discovery they encounter a more evolved version of humanity and classes clash. The original cast returns to reprise their roles from the 2013, along with the addition of Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann, and Kelly Marie Tran. 

This Croods sequel definitely succeeds where the first one fell flat. Usually the curse of the sequel is its notion to rehash the same story from its predecessor. Nearly everything about this one feels completely different from the first. A simple notable difference is the color pallete. Viewers can expect to be marveled by the landscapes and creatures of this film. There are stunning sequences of visuals littered throughout the movie. The two standout examples would be the opening montage of love between Eep and Guy, appropriately set to Neil Diamond’s “I Think I Love You”, which actually becomes a running gag throughout the first and final act of the movie. Side note, Jack Black marvelously remakes this song for the credits. The second example comes in the way of Eep and Dawn (Tran) exploring the wild. 

The Croods remain just as funny as we remember them. It’s nice to see the continual growth of these characters. A shining example of this continues to be Cage and Reynolds. Their dynamic is now a foundational building block for these movies. It has been seven years since we’ve been introduced to this cave family. A lot has changed in that time. I think the writers really used that fact to their advantage. The movie’s themes on media addiction, consumption, and classism are oddly timely. They are extremely well handled throughout the course of this film, proving that just because someone is different from you, in class, race, or sex, doesn’t make them better or worse than you. It’s an effective plot device that elevates it above the competition in animation. 

Overall, The Croods: A New Age is a strong evolution from its predecessor. Everything is better in this sequel. Its approach to themes of classism and media addiction elevate it past just a mere family film. The writing continues to be funny with a lively cast backing these characters. The openness of the world allows the animation to let loose and take flight. This sequel completely restored my faith in DreamWorks movies again. The Croods: A New Age is a surprisingly deep and beautiful movie that hits all the right notes.

RORSCHACH RATING

Mental Health Moment: There is a scene in the movie for which I can’t really describe context. It would give away a fairly large spoiler for some of the characters. Let the record show, I didn’t say it. A moment comes when Eep is having an aside with her mother. She is recounting her collection of scars from fighting animals. She talks about her mental health, how she has been hurt and can physically see the aftermath of it. For her mental health, she can’t see it but it hurts equally as bad. I feel like this is the sort of conversation we should be having. There are too many of us that fixate too much on the aspects of physical pain. We can see it, and sometimes that hinders the fact that mental health deserves just as much, and sometimes even more, attention as physical health. There are signs to decode depression. We live with the signs of depression’s cost and the stigma that comes with it. Even if you can’t see it, please do not discount mental health. It could cost someone their life. 

If you’re reading this right now and you feel like your mental health isn’t taken seriously or that no one will take you seriously; please reach out to either us or one of our resources. The sooner we begin talking about it, the sooner we can experience a true decline in suicide rates.

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: A New Age is property of DreamWorks Pictures. We do not own nor claim any rights. The Croods: A New Age is now playing in theaters.

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