7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The prehistoric Crood family is challenged by rival family the Bettermans, who claim to be better and more evolved.
Starring: Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Nicolas CageFamily | 100% |
Animation | 88% |
Adventure | 63% |
Fantasy | 58% |
Comedy | 55% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The math is pretty simple. If a digitally animated kids movie is wildly successful -- say, The Croods, which raked in well over half a billion dollars in box office returns -- then a sequel will follow on its heels. The Croods: A New Age wasn't exactly churned out with the speed that many anticipated, languishing about a full seven years before release only to pull in around 30% of the original's box office because of the bad timing to be finished in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ignore the box office numbers, then; this is a solid, fun-loving sequel that would have certainly done much better business if business was business as usual. While the franchise is hardly the standard-bearer for its kind, there's no mistaking its keen ability to blend old and new to humorous result. This sequel takes that a step further.
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.
The UHD's amplification over an already perfect Blu-ray makes for a stunning 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation. This is a pinnacle
for digital animation on the 4K format in 2021. The picture is unbelievably sharp, so much so as to render the Blu-ray comparatively soft and lifeless.
The picture's clarity is striking to say the least in its dazzling display of intricate textures and intimate details that allow the viewer to see every strand
of
hair, fiber on clothing, rocky surfaces, vegetation, scaly animals, anything and everything the movie has to offer with a level of tangible accuracy that is
well beyond the limits of the 1080p format. Here, viewers will find it worth a repeat watch just to soak in the fine elements, like freckles or frays on
clothing edges that will leave audiences salivating for more. The world is full alive, here, as are the characters who inhabit it. There's no missing
anything that the digital animators have inserted into the movie. Nothing escapes 4K scrutiny and it's a pleasure to behold.
The Dolby Vision color grading is another substantial boost over the Blu-ray. The film's colorful palette is granted additional opportunities for intensive
saturation, allowing bold tones to leap off the screen in vivid, intensely colorful brilliance. Many frames are filled with abundant reds, greens, blues,
yellows...the entire spectrum. The level of pop and punch are unbeatable, but so too are the tonal nuances, the brilliant luminance, and the extended
depth that is evident in everything from rocky, earthen terrain to lush green vegetation. Eep's hair is a regular standout for vibrant, almost fiery, output.
Assorted fruits enjoy exceptional, often dizzying and delightful, full spectrum output. The colors are only made to seem even bolder when standing out
against some earthy backgrounds or when those fruits and other colorful elements are handled by a Crood family member, particularly early on as they
hold tight to the earthy brown colors which are themselves greatly boosted for depth and saturation. Black levels are magnificent, whites delight, and
the Dolby Vision grading couldn't be more exhilarating from the first shot to fade to black.
The Croods: A New Age features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, the same track found on the companion UHD release. The audio presentation is perfectly capable. It's large and in charge, a fun and fully engaging listen that carries the material with effortless verve and vigor. Clarity is outstanding even as the soundstage is regularly pelted with various sound effects, emanating here, moving there, all in seamless, saturating harmony. There's no corner left unfilled and no speaker left unused. The track is fully active with seamless harmony in every speaker and through the range of crisp high notes to deep and rumbly lows. Whether well spaced music or fully charged action elements, the Atmos track delights side to side, front to back, top to bottom. Discrete overhead use is not commonplace but it's a lot of fun when it's needed, such as during a scene in which monkeys stampede through the stage in the 50-minute mark. The sense of overhead movement and scene critical top end saturation is quite impressive, and that the track maintains balance and detail through the chaos is even more delightful. Dialogue is clear and center positioned, rounding a first-class track into top form.
The Croods: A New Age includes a commentary track, a couple of meaty featurettes, and a handful of kid-friendly extras. A Blu-ray copy of
the
film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.
A New Age might very well split audiences. Grown-ups will find the first half more satisfying for its themes of family and, later, evolution to a new way of life while younger viewers will probably find the more action-packed second half more pleasing. But both ends have enough on offer to keep everyone more or less happy. It's a solid sequel, built not so much to be bigger and better but to move the world forward in meaningful ways, both within the focal Crood family and in the larger world around them. It's certainly a worthwhile follow-up that fans of the original should find to their liking. Universal's UHD delivers perfect 2160p/Dolby Vision video, practically perfect audio, and a nice assortment of extras, most of which are kid-centric but there's some stuff for the grown-ups, too. Recommended.
2020
with Water Bottle and 35pc Puzzle
2020
Gallery Book
2020
2020
2013
2019
2020
2016
2018
2011
2021
2019
2014
20th Anniversary Edition
2001
2021
2013
2000
2012
2004
Collector's Edition
2022
2012
2001
Collector's Edition
2012
2007