The most obvious and not so clandestine giveaway is the conflict and clash between -- in quite simplified terms -- the primitive and the modern. This dichotomy in the movie, however, represents a much broader meaning, reference and application, literally and figuratively. The Neanderthal-like Croods family, with their primitive, cave and crude lifestyle, clash with their newfound contacts and acquaintances, the more civilized Bettermans family. This conflict drives the plot and storyline of the entire movie. Though the names of the two families are eponymous to their lifestyles, I personally feel that it is one of the ironies in the movie. I believe the names should be switched having considered the film's deeper and more profound subtexts of the basic human and family values and qualities.
The primitive, tribal and communal culture of the Croods immediately becomes inferior to the more modern individual-based culture and lifestyle of the Bettermans. It’s a notion that is pervasively universal and contemporary as well. As expected, the Croods become fascinated by the comforts and abundance in the lifestyle of the Bettermans who live in a “mansion” with all its advances and conveniences. One of the many ways in which this clash is portrayed is while the multigenerational Croods (they have grandma Gran too) sleep together in a big pile, the Bettermans have individual rooms of their mansion, which is a new and attractive concept to the Croods family. I find this aspect somewhat funny yet quite relatable having come from a culture where my own multigenerational family all sleep in one fale (hut/house) and therefore often feels packed and overcrowded. And so when families like mine would move to a place of modern homes with multiple rooms, the common expression, usually among the children, is “I have my own room.”
There are also many ironies in the movie. One has to do with the Bettermans’ mansion and how it is symbolic of a prison. Although they live a lavish lifestyle, they also have a high wall surrounding their home and they rarely, if at all, venture outside the wall; they are literally prisoners in their own house -- a familiar phrase in modern times especially with the rich and famous in their walled and gated mansions.
When the Croods arrive, Dawn, the Bettermans’ daughter, is locked and sheltered in her room and isn’t ever allowed over and outside the wall. Eep, the Croods daughter of about the same age, on the other hand, is freer, adventurous and outgoing. She eventually is able to get Dawn outside the wall to “experience life”, a blatant violation of the Bettermans' rules. Dawn is overjoyed and ecstatic with her newfound friend and freedom. Eep then shows Dawn all her scars and healed wounds from her different and prior encounters with wild beasts and things due to her nomadic lifestyle. During their short adventure outside the wall, Dawn was stung by a bee, hence getting her first chevron on her badge of courage and initiation. Eep's message to Dawn is to enjoy and experience life and not holed up in her room, a perceptibly modern disorder.
When the Croods arrive, Dawn, the Bettermans’ daughter, is locked and sheltered in her room and isn’t ever allowed over and outside the wall. Eep, the Croods daughter of about the same age, on the other hand, is freer, adventurous and outgoing. She eventually is able to get Dawn outside the wall to “experience life”, a blatant violation of the Bettermans' rules. Dawn is overjoyed and ecstatic with her newfound friend and freedom. Eep then shows Dawn all her scars and healed wounds from her different and prior encounters with wild beasts and things due to her nomadic lifestyle. During their short adventure outside the wall, Dawn was stung by a bee, hence getting her first chevron on her badge of courage and initiation. Eep's message to Dawn is to enjoy and experience life and not holed up in her room, a perceptibly modern disorder.
There is, however, a contrast and reversal of this aspect. Thunk, a Crood, and Eep’s brother, finds the idea and concept of a room fascinating, especially the window which apparently is a metaphor/symbol and a Windows (computer operating system) pun for modern visual technology. So Thunk “locks” himself in the room and spends all his time looking through the window and seeing everything, a literal metaphor of a “window to the world”. He becomes an archetype of modern day videogames and social media addicts who see their world only through, ironically, a “window-based device”. Thunk even makes a miniature window frame so it can be portable -- in other words, a mobile.
The more the Croods are attracted to the new modern “stuffs” of the Bettermans, the more they seem repulsed by them. And while they try to acclimate and become assimilated to the new modern ways, they also feel suspicious, uncomfortable and skeptical at the same time. They seem to always resort and resign to their traditional values of being a close-knit family. The more we strive for the future the more we yearn for the past.
Another universal subtext of the movie is the fact that people can be different in many ways especially because of culture, environment and upbringing; and yet still have certain things and values in common. Respectively, people conform to certain traditions and beliefs, including some strict mores and rules that sometimes don’t make sense to outsiders or strangers. For example Grug (father of the Croods) likes and craves bananas, and the Bettermans have an abundance of them. The problem is there’s a ban on bananas (see the pun?) imposed by Phil (father of the Bettermans). Grug still ends up breaking the rule (some rules need to be broken?) and the consequence of a mythical and imaginary monster follows. The issue with their physiological needs* (safety) now becomes a shared problem. And the two fathers quickly forget their differences and focus on their shared responsibility of fighting the monster. Again, the principle here is that people tend to get along well if/when they focus on their shared and common values rather than their differences.
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| family pic inside theater after movie |
Perhaps the most important theme and subtext, albeit cliched and rehashed, that gives the movie a mass appeal is that of love - mutual love and love of family. "The pack stays together" is the Croods' mantra. To me, the love of the parents for their multigenerational family is legion. The movie helps reinforce and drives this home to me through one of its soundtracks “I Think I Love You,” a hit song by The Partridge Family in the 70’s. It was a favorite of mine and friends as teenagers in high school in Samoa; so I sang along during its sporadic and intermittent plays in the movie. The refrain has these fitting lyrics: “I think I love you isn't that what life is made of….”
Anyhow, that’s just my own take on “The Croods: A New Age”. Now go and see it for yourself. See it; don't watch it.
My philosophical question from the movie:
Has modern society gotten to the point of being so advanced and therefore consumed and overcome with materialism that people start to build walls for their own protection and survival, which incidentally are the same instincts that caused our predecessors to venture out seeking new “tomorrows” -- whether at home or elsewhere? Is there an underlying cycle in all this?
Moreover, Samoa -- and other underdeveloped countries -- can be excellent places for field and case studies for some answers to some related issues along the same continuum. Samoa is presently in a transition to building modern houses with rooms and locked doors; they’re basically becoming “walled in”. From open fales (houses) to walled ones. Though from a distance this phase seems somewhat insignificant, a closer look can reveal real truths and changes in people’s attitudes and behavior -- social, cultural, psychological, etc. -- because of this transition to modernity. Ia fai aku ai fo’i.
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*Note: I can use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory exclusively on which to base a whole separate review of the movie.