Ice Age: Continental Drift: Movie Review

It's a rare feat for film series to produce more than a slew of three films. The reasons are obvious and definitely the writers are one of those groups that won't be happy in doing another sequel. "Ice Age: Continental Drift" is the fourth entry in the fabled "Ice Age" series. It's amazing to think that this is the fourth try already but you know what's more amazing? You'd think that by this time, the jokes, the characters and the story might be stale already but the final product is in fact the complete opposite. While it may not guarantee a fifth salvo, this sequel proves to be a totally entertaining and laugh-out-loud experience. A total surprise indeed.

Scrat (Chris Wedge) accidentally triggers the separation of the land mass known as Pangea as he chases for his acorn. Unfortunately, this means that the home of Manny (Ray Romano) and his friends, Sid (John Leguizamo) and Diego (Denis Leary), is also affected. The three, plus Sid's grandma, find themselves separated from their loved ones as they drift off into the ocean. Manny vows to find a way back to his wife Ellie (Quenn Latifah) and daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer) but the task became harder as he finds himself face-to-face with the cruel and gruesome pirate, Captain Gutt (Peter Dinklage).

"Ice Age: Continental Drift" works on what's best about all of the "Ice Age" films. It concentrates on the humor specifically the endless mishaps of Scrat and the one-liners from the three leads. From start to finish, we found ourselves laughing either from Sid's naivety or the mini-story of Scrat's quest for the his own "treasure" island. It's not a bad thing that the visuals are a beauty especially in 3D. This film in fact utilizes the technology pretty solid and the film's brighter tone was a pleasing experience for our eyes. The film is also action-packed with our favorite the final fight scene (yeah, fight scene!) between Manny and Captain Gutt. The only negative things for "Ice Age: Continental Drift" is the clichéd story and the weak new characters which we felt were under-utilized. Overall, "Ice Age: Continental Drift" makes an entertaining watch with action scenes and humor that tickle both adults and kids alike.

Rating: 4 reels





Why you should watch it:
- the humor is the best asset for this fourth "Ice Age" film
- the film utilizes 3D well and is full of action-packed scenes

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the story is the usual fare and the new characters were under-utilized