The Croods review

DreamWorks’ trippy comedy about a stone age family

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If the makers of The Flintstones had ever taken hallucinogenic drugs, then the result might have been something like DreamWorks’ prehistory-set 3D cartoon.

Certainly, directors Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders seem to be on something, confronting their modern Stone Age family with trippy Avatar -style jungles and bizarre hybrid creatures.

Pity the creators didn’t put as much effort into the workaday story, in which teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone) clashes with her over-protective Dad (Nicolas Cage) on a family exodus to find a new cave.

There are some chuckles - notably when Eep goes loopy over her first pair of shoes.

But for the most part it’s Neanderthal compared to the Pixar stable.

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Freelance writer

James Mottram is a freelance film journalist, author of books that dive deep into films like Die Hard and Tenet, and a regular guest on the Total Film podcast. You'll find his writings on GamesRadar+ and Total Film, and in newspapers and magazines from across the world like The Times, The Independent, The i, Metro, The National, Marie Claire, and MindFood.