The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

With over three billion dollars in the bag and now a fifth full-length theatrical film under its belt, it’s pretty much safe to say that the Ice Age franchise has done its bid to rightfully reserve its spot as one of the most successful animated film series to date. However, not all of the films that followed 2002’s Ice Age have been held up on the same creative pedestal as their predecessor, including its fifth – and hopefully – final instalment, Ice Age: Collision Course; a flawed, silly and a story-less mess that really, should have never seen the light of day.

Scripted by Michael J. Wilson, Michael Berg and Yoni Brenner, the story is cantered on and around everyone’s favourite prehistoric squirrel, Scrat (sounds offered by Chris Wedge) who – while trying to protect his beloved acorn – finds himself unintentionally boarding a long-buried spaceship, accidently sending it off into space. His action, as it turns out, causes a whole string of unwanted reactions including the creation of a massive asteroid speeding towards Earth.

Meanwhile, Manny (voiced by Romano) is having trouble dealing with his daughter, Peaches (Palmer), who has fallen in love with Julian (Devine) and as she has now reached a mature age, is ready to separate from her parents and roam on her own. His concerns, however, are soon forgotten when the speeding asteroid comes into viewing, forcing Manny, Diego (Leary) and Sid (Leguizamo) to go out and look for shelter before the asteroid makes contact.

While the idea of sending Ice Age into space is not completely ridiculous – although many will agree that this sudden jump into a full-blown sci-fi adventure is a little weird – it’s obvious that the studio is scrambling for ideas to keep the franchise relevant and alive. There seems to be very little thought – or heart – put into the storyline this time, with the film never really finding its voice, diving into one too many subplots whilst trying to keep up with all of the characters who haven’t really been given a story to tell. Most of the original cast is back, but their efforts are not as effective, apart maybe from Simon Pegg’s Buck – who the herd picks up along the way – who manages to breathe some life into the story and even find time to offer a few moments of comic relief.

Otherwise, it’s a seemingly poor effort all around for Collison Course which finds itself overcrowded with characters and completely stripped of its initial charm. Unfunny, misguided and a total waste of time, the fifth addition to the franchise has failed to impress, proving that it may have finally run out of steam.