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Denis LearyDrake...
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3DAction & Adventure...
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Mike ThurmeierSteve Martino
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In 1 Cinema
reviewed by
review it
Yasmin Shehab
A
squirrel with an obsession with acorns unwittingly sets off a bunch of
fissures that end up splitting the earth’s landmass into a bunch of
smaller chunks known as continents. The breakage doesn’t stop there; it
threatens to vaporise the island that our cast of animals call home.
After the chunk of island they were on breaks off and a subsequent tidal
wave separates them from their fellow animals, Manny (Romano), Diego
(Leary) and Sid (Leguizamo) try and commandeer their tiny block of ice
past pirates and various sea creatures back to their home, while Peaches
(Palmer) and Ellie (Queen Latifah), Manny’s family, lead the rest of
the animals to the last stable place on their island praying that the
castaways will be able to make it.
squirrel with an obsession with acorns unwittingly sets off a bunch of
fissures that end up splitting the earth’s landmass into a bunch of
smaller chunks known as continents. The breakage doesn’t stop there; it
threatens to vaporise the island that our cast of animals call home.
After the chunk of island they were on breaks off and a subsequent tidal
wave separates them from their fellow animals, Manny (Romano), Diego
(Leary) and Sid (Leguizamo) try and commandeer their tiny block of ice
past pirates and various sea creatures back to their home, while Peaches
(Palmer) and Ellie (Queen Latifah), Manny’s family, lead the rest of
the animals to the last stable place on their island praying that the
castaways will be able to make it.
This film immediately seems like the emphasis is
more on milking the cash cow for all it’s worth than on any sort of
quality control. Where you can usually count on Madagascar/Shrek/Toy
Story etc. for a balance between a good story and humour, Ice Age 4 barely
works for adults and we doubt that kids, especially older ones, would
prefer it to any of the aforementioned series. It’s highly formulaic,
brings absolutely nothing new to the table and its villain – a monkey
pirate – is as clichéd as they come; not to mention he isn’t scary,
menacing or dangerous in the slightest. The film’s saving grace is its
go-for-broke attitude and fast pace which stops it from being a total
snooze fest, even if it does still lag a bit.
more on milking the cash cow for all it’s worth than on any sort of
quality control. Where you can usually count on Madagascar/Shrek/Toy
Story etc. for a balance between a good story and humour, Ice Age 4 barely
works for adults and we doubt that kids, especially older ones, would
prefer it to any of the aforementioned series. It’s highly formulaic,
brings absolutely nothing new to the table and its villain – a monkey
pirate – is as clichéd as they come; not to mention he isn’t scary,
menacing or dangerous in the slightest. The film’s saving grace is its
go-for-broke attitude and fast pace which stops it from being a total
snooze fest, even if it does still lag a bit.
The
animation looks strangely unfinished, as though it still belongs on a
computer not a cinema screen. Either that or it’s just cheap, which
probably explains why the franchise has spawned three sequels to date
with no end in sight, or how they were able to afford such a star
studded cast who, don’t elevate the material, but provide a good dose of
entertainment in the form of guessing the famous voice behind the
shoddily designed face. J-Lo, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Queen Latifah, that
blonde chick from Glee, that awesome dude from Parks & Recreation;
you get the picture.
animation looks strangely unfinished, as though it still belongs on a
computer not a cinema screen. Either that or it’s just cheap, which
probably explains why the franchise has spawned three sequels to date
with no end in sight, or how they were able to afford such a star
studded cast who, don’t elevate the material, but provide a good dose of
entertainment in the form of guessing the famous voice behind the
shoddily designed face. J-Lo, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Queen Latifah, that
blonde chick from Glee, that awesome dude from Parks & Recreation;
you get the picture.
The
mute, acorn obsessed squirrel is a highlight though. It has a twitchy
nose that any cat or rabbit lover would appreciate and its arc plays
with history in a way that’s both imaginative and funny. The opening
sequence of its acorn-chasing antics is hilarious – as is its fatal
encounter with a squirrel infested version of Atlantis.
We’d
only recommend Ice Age 4 to existing fans of the series, but if you’re
looking to entertain a bunch of kids then go see the other animated film
in cinemas – Pixar’s Brave – it’ll go down better with both older and
younger audiences.
only recommend Ice Age 4 to existing fans of the series, but if you’re
looking to entertain a bunch of kids then go see the other animated film
in cinemas – Pixar’s Brave – it’ll go down better with both older and
younger audiences.
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