DVD Corner's blog

The Croods: A New Age 4K UHD Review

“The Croods: A New Age” will appeal to fans of the franchise.

In this sequel to “The Croods,” Guy, the Croods family (Grug, Ugga, Eep, Thunk, Gran and Sandy) and Belt, Douglas, and Chunky are searching for the fabled Tomorrow. Their quest is a perilous one but it pays off when they discover it. They aren’t the only ones in Tomorrow, however, as they encounter the Betterman family (who were friends of Guy’s late parents). The Croods and the Bettermans are polar opposites that don’t get along initially. The Croods are cave people who are accustomed to their own way of living while the Betterman family is more “modern” and new agey. The Betterman family wants the Croods gone and for Guy to stay with them even though Guy and Eep are in a relationship. Can the two families get along or will they turn against one another?

Fans of “The Croods” and the TV series “Dawn Of The Croods” will undoubtedly be overjoyed by the 2020 sequel “The Croods: A New Age.” For everyone else, your mileage may vary. While its heart is in the right place as it explores themes about change, family, dealing with pain and togetherness, that’s not enough. The Joel Crawford directed sequel is largely a frantic and noisy animated feature filled with too many characters, lots of bickering, dopey humor (Wigasus and Punch Monkeys come to mind) and bodily function humor. There’s also an overabundance of modernism which, I hate to use the phrase, took me out of the movie. Do we really need pop songs and references to zombies, television, flip flops and “Star Trek”? No, no we don’t.

If there’s one thing everyone can agree on with this Dreamworks film, it’s that it looks visually stunning. The colorful environments, the hybrid creature designs, the level of detail, and the animated Nic Cageisms are splendid to gawk at.    

The voice work is also on point even if you don’t connect to the characters. Ryan Reynolds, Kelly Marie Tran, Emma Stone, Peter Dinklage and, of course, Nic Cage are among the highlights.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.35:1 2160p. How does it look? Say what you will about the movie, but the CGI animation is nothing short breathtaking in 4K.

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? A lively and dynamic Atmos track.

Extras:
* Blu-ray copy
* Digital copy
* “The Evolution Of…”- A featurette about the sequel
* “How To Draw: Caveman Style”- A look at how to draw 8 characters.
* “Famileaf Album”- Instructions on how to make your own famileaf album.
* 2 new shorts- “Dear Diary: World’s First Pranks” and “Family Movie Night: Little Red Bronana Bread.”
* A gag reel of the voice cast.
* “To: Gerard”- An animated short about a wannabe magician.
* 8 deleted scenes with intros by Joel Crawford.
* “The Croods: Family Album”- A featurette on the voice cast.
* “Stone Age Snack Attack”- 3 recipes
* Commentary by Joel Crawford, Mark Swift, Januel Mercado and Jim Ryan.
 

February 19, 2021 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | Animated Film, Dreamworks, Kelly Marie Tran, Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, The Croods, The Croods 2, The Croods: A New Age 4K Review, The Croods: A New Age 4K UHD Review