The end of the world, as well as what comes after, seems to be a running theme this year on the big screen.

Will Smith stars in this summer’s “After Earth,” in which Earth has become a forbidden zone inhabited by evolved monsters. Tom Cruise stars in April’s “Oblivion,” where Earth becomes a desolate wasteland. While DreamWorks Animation’s newest effort isn’t about the end of the modern world, it still deals with one family’s journey into a new one.

“The Croods” follows a neanderthal family that is forced to contend with continental drift. After its cave is destroyed, members journey into a lush jungle filled with animals that (of course) want to kill them. Eep, the film’s central cave girl voiced by Emma Stone, wants to explore the world. Her father Grug, voiced by Nicolas Cage, is overprotective with a motto to “Never not be afraid.” Along their journey, they meet Guy, voiced by Ryan Reynolds, who doesn’t fear the unknown. A struggle naturally begins between the two as Grug watches his daughter become infatuated with Guy.

So the plot and conflict are recycled. But do other elements of “The Croods” make up for the deficits?

Austin Flynn: Out of the seemingly endless list of stinkers Nicolas Cage agrees to sign on to, who would have thought “The Croods” would be one of the rare gems worth watching? Not me, that’s for sure. But, I’ll be the first to admit I was dead wrong. From start to finish I kept asking myself “Ok, when is this going to crash and burn,” but with top-quality animation, an engaging soundtrack and an unforgettable finale I was intently eating my popcorn and words all the way out of the theater doors. Cage even had a few scenes that got me emotionally invested, which is an unprecedented act of God. This isn’t to say the movie is without flaws. The first 20 to 30

minutes of the “The Croods” was slow and had me begging for some plot. I don’t mind a bit of uncertainty early in a film, but there just wasn’t anything happening at the beginning. The plot was also a bit cliche with the overprotective father protecting his daughter, but that’s really my only complaints with this film.

Karsten Burgstahler: I’d say the plot was more than a bit cliche. The writers set up an overused conflict between father and daughter, but I do have to commend them on the way they resolve the conflict. The film’s final 30 minutes takes a dark turn that few animated movies have dared to take, and I’m glad the writers decided to raise the emotional stakes. Without the ending, I’d say “The Croods” would be an average animated film. But I’d say the film’s conclusion makes it the best DreamWorks has produced since “How to Train Your Dragon.” However, I felt the film lacked a strong antagonist. This is a critical problem movies like “The Croods” often face; when nature is the enemy, the film moves from chase scene to chase scene without a decent plot to tie it together. This causes the movie to drag for the first half, but the beautiful animation is a pleasant distraction from the flaws.

AF: You’re talking to a guy who loves a fight scene between protagonist and antagonist to wrap up a movie, but I honestly didn’t even notice in “The Croods.” Sure, the conflict between father and daughter did get old, but I enjoyed the struggle between Guy and Grug not only because it was a new man in his daughter’s life but it was a new man in the eyes of a changing world. He brought intelligence and finesse to an archaic world, and Grug’s resistance to this change was enough of a conflict to satisfy me. The bottom line? This movie made me experience a range of emotions, got me involved in the storyline and kept my interest with an ending that momentarily touched on the dark notion of death. Most importantly, it did this with Nicolas Cage voicing a main character. If that’s not an accomplishment, I don’t know what is. So, if you’re in the mood for an animated film, I highly recommend “The Croods.”

KB: I have to say, I know how much you disliked the idea of reviewing this film, but the fact that this movie turned out so well is one of the great things about being a movie critic — movies can surprise you. I’d say “The Croods” surprised me as well, but probably not as much as it did you. I knew DreamWorks had it in them, and their animation, as well as the great Alan Silvestri score, proved why Pixar hasn’t blown them out of the water yet. It’s certainly not “Toy Story 3,” but it’s a leap forward from last November’s disastrous “Rise of the Guardians.” “The Croods” captures the sense of wonder and awe that comes with adventure, and that certainly makes up for the slow moments.

?1hr 38min? – ?Rated PG? – ?Animation?