Though appearing a full seven years after the successful 2013 animated movie about the titular prehistoric family, this sequel proves sadly unimaginative; it just adds a Flintstones-inspired twist to the original premise. The main cast remains the same: bumbling patriarch Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage), his wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), her mother Gran (Cloris Leachman), and the children—smart Eep (Emma Stone), thick-headed Thunk (Clark Duke) and squealing Sandy (Kailey Crawford).
Accompanied by Guy (Ryan Reynolds), the handsome young stranger Eep fell for in the first installment, they stumble upon the elaborate compound of Phil and Hope Betterman (Peter Dinklage and Leslie Mann), a more evolved couple who, along with their daughter Dawn (Kelly Marie Tran), live in a beautiful treehouse equipped with “modern” conveniences. Phil has even diverted a mountain water source to make the walled-in refuge a place lush with food-bearing plants.
It turns out that the Betterman's were neighbors of Guy’s parents, that the boy and Dawn had been childhood chums, and that Phil and Hope would like that relationship to blossom into romance.
To nudge matters along, Phil persuades Grug, as they lounge in the sauna of his “man cave,” that it would be best for everyone if the Croods moved on without Guy. But after awhile Grug realizes he was tricked and decides to get back at Phil by eating the compound’s stores of bananas, thereby breaking the only rule Phil imposed on his guests. The reason for the prohibition becomes clear when Phil reveals that the fruit is needed to placate a horrible monster lurking behind the walls that demands bananas as tribute.
The set-up suggests a King Kong-sized beast will shortly attack, but instead, the mysterious enemy is a tribe of monkeys whose language consists of slaps and punches. But it is quickly revealed that the bananas serve as the monkeys’ sacrifice to—you guessed it—a ravenous Kong type who takes the men captive, requiring the women to ”man up” and save the day. They succeed, and the movie closes with the expected salutary messages—family is what matters, sisterhood is powerful, and brain and brawn must work together for the good of all.
A New Age is certainly energetic, with plenty of action, all frantically staged, to keep younger viewers engaged. But the level of wit is modest, and the gags pretty obvious. Still, the movie is a visual delight, with brightly colored backgrounds featuring an array of lustrous flora and foliage. More exhausting than exhilarating, this is a middling animated flick that prizes predictability over imagination. While no classic, it is innocuous and should prove mildly enjoyable for family audiences. A strong optional purchase.