The Croods: A New Age
Universal Pictures | Release Date: November 25, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
17
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
78
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeNov 23, 2020
You may never have thought you needed or even wanted a sequel to “The Croods,” but you may find it a pleasant surprise in a year where most of the surprises have been anything but. Read full review
75
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiNov 24, 2020
The film is overstuffed with comedy material, though. There’s a time-period-appropriate gag for everything — the TV is just a hole in the wall that they watch birds through — and the jokes are nonstop. The best moments of animated films are often the most serene. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonNov 23, 2020
So there’s a lot going on here, and director Joel Crawford and his teams efficiently keep the story moving along. There’s a wonderful “Flintstones” versus “Jetsons” vibe, the characters are, as usual, appealing. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 23, 2020
The Croods: A New Age has some of the derivative limitations of the first film — the faint whiff of riding “Ice Age’s” coattails. But the players make their slapsticking, pratfalling, punking and pranking characters breathe, live, love and care. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriNov 24, 2020
More fun are the imaginative prehistoric beasts, from land-sharks to six-eyed spider-wolves to a tribe of “punch monkeys” that has developed a language that consists entirely of, well, punches and slaps. This was one of the strengths of the first picture, too: You sensed that the filmmakers had a blast inventing crazy new creatures for this primeval fantasy land. Read full review
67
Paste MagazineJoseph StanicharDec 3, 2020
Although it’s clearly tailored for kids to enjoy as its first priority, A New Age leans into the physical comedy and, for lack of a better phrase, crude humor of its predecessor with success, creating a lighthearted, low-ambition romp that kids will love and adults will enjoy. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerNov 23, 2020
With eleven different characters to serve—not counting several animal sidekicks—A New Age has a lot going on in terms of plot and action, with a litany of new alliances, betrayals, and team-ups. But the sequel is not as visually sophisticated as its predecessor. Read full review
65
UproxxMike RyanNov 23, 2020
If you have kids, they will probably love this because it’s very colorful … and even I found myself mesmerized by how colorful it is. A cornucopia of colors! (I guess that’s my pull quote.) Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliNov 27, 2020
Kids will enjoy it and parents will be sufficiently diverted that they won’t be tempted to take a nap. It’s disposable entertainment but the receptacle in question doesn’t have to be a garbage disposal. Read full review
63
The Associated PressLindsey BahrNov 24, 2020
It might not be as novel as the first, but it’s essentially harmless, if a little chaotic, fun for kids and doesn’t need to be anything more than that. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshNov 23, 2020
Because the movie starts at an 11 and doesn’t let up, the runtime feels overly long. However, the voice performances are excellent, especially Cage, who brings his signature sense of yearning pathos to Grug the Neanderthal. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzNov 23, 2020
It mostly all comes together in the end, but you still cannot help but watch the film and wonder why the need for just so much of everything. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineKeith WatsonNov 23, 2020
The film is brightly colored, inventively designed, and constantly flirting with the outright psychedelic, but it's so packed full of incident that it rarely gives its jokes the space to land. Read full review
60
The Irish TimesTara BradyJul 16, 2021
The Croods: New Age remains a sequel that no one was crying out for. It’s busy. It’s well-staffed. It passes the time. Read full review
60
The GuardianCath ClarkeJul 15, 2021
There is just too much going on, and the movie doubles in hecticness with every minute that passes, which may have you rummaging around for a couple of paracetamol. Read full review
60
EmpireOlly RichardsJul 12, 2021
The first film was so middle-of-the-road that most have probably forgotten it existed. Its sequel creates a more lasting impression, with vibrant animation and a wackadoodle sense of humour. Read full review
60
ABC NewsPeter TraversNov 25, 2020
Inside this manic jumble about a family of prehistoric ‘Flintstones’ knockoffs lies a brightly animated bauble that speaks to the power of staying connected even when forced apart. Pretty good for a cartoon, especially during a pandemic. Read full review
60
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergNov 25, 2020
Paradoxically, the movie’s energy ebbs as the proceedings turn more antic. Read full review
60
IGNMatt FowlerNov 23, 2020
The Croods: A New Age is a mightily medium follow-up to the 2013 original. The voice cast is great and the jokes are the perfect type of clever, where both kids and adults can get a good laugh. The story and emotional stakes are a touch thinner this time but that's to be expected, for the most part, from this type of animated sequel. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzNov 23, 2020
Like the first film, The Croods: A New Age is a pleasant enough movie. It may not make you forget the original, but only because you probably already had. Read full review
58
The PlaylistAsher LubertoNov 25, 2020
It’s the same primitive family-friendly fare that made the original a box-office sensation. Read full review
58
IndieWireKate ErblandNov 23, 2020
The Croods: A New Age ultimately spins that off into a wacky adventure that somehow involves aforementioned punch monkeys (cute, but very punchy indeed), a revelation that the “Croods” franchise might intersect with the world of “Mad Max,” and a generous dash of female empowerment (plus awesome fake heavy-metal music to go with it). It’s a little silly, very colorful, and entertaining enough to deliver some good-hearted ideas that aren’t beholden to any period in time. Worth nearly a decade of push-pull to get here? Probably not, but on its own merits it’s a charming throwback — not necessarily a “new age,” but the remnants of a classic one. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanNov 27, 2020
The anarchic spirit of the film suggests the screenwriters (brothers Kevin and Dan Hageman, Paul Fisher and Bob Logan) may also have been a little high on bee venom when they wrote this thing. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoNov 23, 2020
A decent first half and solid voice work throughout succumbs to total chaos for the second half and the realization that there’s almost no actual artistic intent here. No story, no character, no world-building, no design. It’s all bright colors and loud noises. You’d think we’d evolved beyond that by now. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonNov 23, 2020
The comedic sparks and emotional stirrings simply aren’t as potent this time around, despite some colourful animation and an occasionally inspired silly streak. Read full review
50
SlashfilmJosh SpiegelNov 23, 2020
The Croods: A New Age is going through the motions, accomplishing the basic level of work required in pulling off a computer-animated feature. It’s a strange way to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, even in a strange year like this. Read full review
40
The Observer (UK)Simran HansJul 19, 2021
The film’s second half suffers from frantic pacing and overstuffed action sequences. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleJenny NulfNov 27, 2020
The Croods: A New Age takes wacky, weird turns, and yet somehow still manages to be dull and lifeless. Read full review
40
VarietyPeter DebrugeNov 23, 2020
For those who wish they’d just slow it down and tell a decent story, The Croods: A New Age feels like an assault on the cranium, a loud and patently obnoxious 21st-century “Flintstones” with far more sophisticated technology, but nothing new to offer in the script department. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyNov 23, 2020
In an era where there's no shortage of clever animated features that appeal to kids while still tickling the grownups, the laughs here are about as fresh as the short-lived 1960s sci-fi comedy, It's About Time. Read full review
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