The Croods (2013) records the survival struggle of a family of six cave dwellers, battling hunger, predators and the geological chaos of tricky tectonic plates that forced them out into the light in search of tomorrow.

Beyond the physical dangers of their primitive world, the conflict centered on the overprotective anxiety of father Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage) as the natural curiosity of his eldest daughter Eep (Emma Stone) was stoked by the arrival of dreamy fellow teen Guy (Ryan Reynolds).

The sequel introduces Phil and Hope Betterman (Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann), who live a more civilized life. When Grug discovers their walled farm — equipped with Flintstones-style inventions like a shower and a flush toilet, irrigated with mountain spring water and full of exotic crops ripe for the picking — the Croods believe they’ve found tomorrow. But the snobbish Bettermans’ only interest in the freeloaders is in keeping Guy around as a mate for their teenage daughter Dawn (Kelly Marie Tran). A sleek top-knot and some vanilla-scented body wash later, Guy is an easy convert to the comforts of more civilized living.

That set-up yields some romantic confusion for Eep, who nonetheless enjoys the newfound friendship with Dawn. The Betterman offspring in turn blossoms as she breaks away from her suffocating parents and experiences the forbidden thrills of life beyond the walls, accompanying Eep astride Chunky, the Croods’ giant jungle cat-macaw hybrid.

There are amusing interludes like the bonding of Grug and the manipulative Phil in the latter’s man-cave steam room; the attempt of Hope to send Grug’s wife Ugga (Catherine Keener) and her brood back where they came from with a travel gift basket; or the discovery of a picture window in the Bettermans’ treehouse, which turns preteen Thunk Crood (Clark Duke) into an instant couch potato. Lacking plot momentum and hoping to make things more interesting, the film introduces a population of angry “punch monkeys.” The Bettermans need to deliver a steady supply of bananas to appease these volatile beasts. When war erupts between humans and apes, the Croods’ hot-tempered old Gran (Cloris Leachman) steps up for battle, rekindling the spirit of an ancient tribe of warrior women to which she once belonged, called The Thunder Sisters.

The concluding message is almost identical to that of the first movie — that strength and intellect are mutually beneficial and a unified pack is the way forward. (SD-Agencies)