The Croods

According to The Croods, the onset of family dysfunction predates the invention of fire.

Of course, getting caught up in all of the anachronistic details might just turn the endurance of this silly animated adventure from a mediocre experience into a painful one.

The primitive script might lack enough compelling ideas and amusing jokes, but the polished visuals are anything but prehistoric. Packed with action sequences and 3D effects, at least the sharp and colorful animation helps to create a mild and unmemorable diversion.

It follows the titular cave-dwelling family whose patriarch, Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage) prefers to keep his clan sheltered away from the unknown dangers of the outside world. But the family begins to resist such precautions, especially rebellious teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone).

The night that she secretly meets progressive adventurer Guy (Ryan Reynolds) against her father’s wishes unwittingly sets into motion a journey into the changing world around them that tests the entire family, including Grug’s wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), son Thunk (Clark Duke) and spry mother Gran (Cloris Leachman).

It seems the primary purpose for The Croods is to launch another in the endless succession of animated franchises that saturate cinemas these days, plus all of the accompanying video games and plush days that go along with it. From that perspective, the film has some quirky and charming characters along with an endearing voice cast. With the relatively cheap cost of computer animation these days, that sometimes is enough to assure staying power in a crowded marketplace.

The film is directed by Kirk DeMicco (Space Chimps) and animation veteran Chris Sanders (co-director of How to Train Your Dragon), who also collaborated on the screenplay. They devise some clever sight gags and one-liners about life without contemporary amenities, to say the least, but it’s not as edgy or subversive as it could have been.

More than a half century after “The Flintstones” pioneered this sort of idea on television, The Croods isn’t exactly re-inventing the wheel (pun intended). The story takes some predictable turns, especially with its character dynamics, and generally employs a low-brow approach that befits the title. That’s one way in which its Neanderthal nature is unintentional.

Rated PG, 98 minutes.