Ice Age 4: Continental Drift Review

Ice Age 4: Continental Drift Review

A whole ten years after the first helping of the series, Ice Age 4 plays to its childish strengths and yet lacks the innovation and excitement that made its previous instalments so much fun.

While the first two movies were greatly original and enjoyable, number 3 in 2009 (Dawn of the Dinosaurs) seemed like its only purpose was to show off cinema's new 3D capabilities, which really sums up my view of Hollywood these days. With the release of Ice Age 4, it really brings to the attention the fact that, instead of trusting exciting new ideas, movie studios will keep forcing a franchise into the ground until it screams 'No more!' At which point, the executives will sit in a room together and say 'Oh, I know! Let's reboot it!'

Saying that, part of me feels like reviewing a children's film in this way is a bit nul and void - it's not really supposed to appeal to me, right?  I'm not easily amused by cartoon characters falling over and bumping their heads anymore. Much.

Pirates: but why is the fun gone?

Opening with Scrat, the mascot of franchise, inadvertantly causing the formation of the world's continents, Ice Age 4 gives us an annoyingly slow re-introduction to the main characters we've watched in the last three films (we know who Manny, Diego and Sid are by now, we have known them for ten years after all!). Suddenly separated from Manny's family and lost at sea, the trio encounter pirates, tigers and Sid's family while they try to find a way back home. Meanwhile on the mainland, Manny's daughter Peaches learns the importance of family.

Ice Age 4 doesn't do anything to better itself from the previous movies, and it certainly doesn't come anywhere close to the quality and originality of storytelling that transpired from the first two. It's enjoyable enough, but it left a bitter taste of resentment that the series could have bowed out gracefully at its peak and chose not to. The story is nothing we haven't seen before, while the ocean setting lays out a pretty predictable timeline. Stage one: get caught in a storm. Stage two: meet pirates. Stage three: get captured by pirates. Stage four: hatch plan to escape pirates.

Rapper Drake voices Ethan the mammoth

In terms of the voice cast, almost every demographic of entertainment has been covered. Ray Romano, Denis Leary and John Leguizamo do the best that they can with a script rather void of witty comedy, and in some bizarre choices of casting, Nicki Minaj, Drake and Jennifer Lopez also join in to provide your standard issue 'wacky' supporting cast (is this a movie or a musical?). While I don't disagree with the casting in most respects, the characters themselves suffer due to a lack of acting experience.

Still, there are bright colours of hope amongst the dull canvas. Scrat the loveable squirrel is always fun to watch as he chases his acorn with humorous consequences, while the climax of the film is not quite on a par to the heart-pounding finale of Ice Age 2 but the action is still exciting to watch.

Summary

While I can imagine children will really enjoy the film for its slapstick comedy and the lessons taught about the appreciation of family, it saddens me to know that the Ice Age series reached its peak some years ago and is now being dragged along by force. Adults will find it a bit of a bore, but kids are sure to be entertained by the fourth instalment of a once brilliant series.

Assuming that there will be an Ice Age 5, I hope that 20th Century Fox takes a leaf out of Toy Story 3's book and makes a movie slightly more appealing to the nostalgic fans who remember owning the VHS all the way back in 2002. If not, just do us a favour and put it on ice. 

4/10

By Dean Johnstone