The
Croods (2013/Dreamworks
Blu-ray w/DVD + Digital Copy)/Art
Of The Croods (Titan
Books)
Picture:
A-/B Sound: A-/B Extras: C+ Film: B Book: B-
Whereas
many CGI animated features today are very hit or miss; Dreamworks and
Disney/Pixar are seemingly consistent with delivering top notch
films.
Now
on Blu-ray is Dreamworks The
Croods.
The film follows a family of cavemen (and women) as they make their
way through Prehistoric life. As any 'smart' Neanderthal knows the
world is a scary, dangerous place; so best to keep your head down and
stay in the cave. As papa Crood Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage) says
'never NOT be afraid.' But of course no good movie is without its
controversy, so in comes daughter Crood; the dangerously curious Eep
(voiced by Emma Stone). From here we are taken on a journey of
misadventures and strained family relationships as the Croods venture
out into the unknown world.
We
are treated to a cast of somewhat predictable, but entertaining
characters. With the likes of Grandma Crood (the classic Cloris
Leachman), new boy on the block Guy (Ryan Reynolds), mother Crood
Ugga (Catherine Keener), and Thunk Crood (Clark Duke) popping in and
out to entertain. Based on the fact that the host of dangerous and
not so dangerous creatures of the film appears completely fabricated,
it is questionable if the film even takes place on earth. If these
were cave people on another planet/dimension, bravo to the creators;
but since this is a children's film, I think they were just having
fun. Between land whales and giant flying turtles the entire thing
was a bit trippy; though full out fun.
This
is not the best Dreamworks film, but far from forgettable. It will
entertain the kids and certainly keep adults interest for at least
one showing. If nothing else the visuals are stunning and exemplify
how far CGI animation has come.
The
technical features on this Blu-ray are OUTSTANDING! Definitely of
demo quality; only being a hair off from perfect. The picture is
presented in a 1080, MPEG-4, AVC Encoded 2.35 X 1 Widescreen that
boasts of a crystal clear image, solid black levels, and vibrant
colors throughout. If the crisp, colorful presentation weren't
enough the stunning textures and level of detail is out of this
world. The sound is a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless presentation
that is lively and well balanced. The entire soundstage is filled
throughout the film with all speakers being utilized. As the film
has many adventurous moments and chase sequences, the rear speakers
kick in and panning effects are spot on. The 'boom' and 'rumble' of
the bass track also takes this presentation to the next level as
viewers will feel like they are in the heat of the moment right
alongside the characters.
The
DVD is merely a downgraded presentation of the stunningly well done
Blu-ray.
Extras
on this release are slim and include the following:
Fortunately,
we also have a terrific companion (sold separately) to its release in
the new big hardcover Titan Books release The
Art Of The Croods,
with an intro by Nicolas Cage, text by Noela Hueso and 178 high
quality pages of sketches, character development and more about the
immense amount of hard work it took to make this CGI feature
possible. There is little overlap with the extras on the Blu-ray/DVD
set and color reproduction is very accurate throughout. This is a
great book of art for fans, for fun, for art lovers and would make a
great holiday gift in addition to the Blu-ray/DVD set.
Since
we covered these releases, a 2020 sequel was released and you can
read more about it in its 4K release elsewhere on this site.
-
Michael P. Dougherty II and Nicholas Sheffo
