'The Croods' Review Roundup: Critics Call the Film Family Friendly

On March 22 the animated film "The Croods" will hit theaters.

The film, voiced by Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds, tells the story of the world's very first prehistoric family who goes on a road trip to an uncharted and fantastical world.

The film opened at the Berlin Film Festival in Competition and scored mixed reviews. The Hollywood Reporter enjoyed it stating, "Further back on the evolutionary chain than the Flintstones, and also lagging in the comedy stakes, this sweet Stone Age clan nonetheless will captivate the youngsters."

Screen International complimented it on its imagination stating, "if its dialogue is tepid, its physical comedy is lively, sometimes with real imagination in its colour palette and the odd animals that populate its 3-D landscapes."

The Playlist, however, was not as complimentary and gave it a C+. They said, "Though impressive in many technical and surface ways, it lets us down on the essentials of character and story, and no amount of late-stage father/daughter bonding or vertiginous 3D cliffside tumbling can make up for that."

Total Film was also negative about the film stating, "For the most part it's Neanderthal compared to the Pixar stable."

Variety also had problems with the film and added, "DreamWorks' latest 3D toon, 'The Croods,' adopts a relatively primitive approach to storytelling with its Flintstonian construction of stock, ill-fitting narrative elements."

The film is directed by Chris Sanders ("Lilo and Stitch," "How to Train Your Dragon") and Kirk De Micco ("Space Chimps"). Cage was last in "Stolen" and will next be seen in "The Frozen Ground" and "Joe." Stone was seen in "Gangster Squad" and "Movie 43" in January and is currently shooting "The Amazing Spider Man 2". Reynolds last starred in "Safe House" with Denzel Washington and will next be seen in "R.I.P.D" with Jeff Bridges.

Dreamworks will distribute the film in 3,900 theaters.