LEAD
CAST: (Voice
only) Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Seann
William Scott, Josh Peck, Keke Palmer, Chris Wedge, Peter Dinklage, Jennifer Lopez, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Heather Morris DIRECTOR: Steve
Martino & Mike Thurmeier SCREENWRITER: Micheal
Berg, Jason Fuchs, Mike Reiss PRODUCER: John C. Donkin, Lori Forte EDITOR: James
Palumbo MUSICAL
DIRECTOR: John Powell GENRE: 3-D Computer Animated & Comedy CINEMATOGRAPHER:
Renato
Falcao
RUNNING TIME: 94 minutes DISTRIBUTOR: 20th Century Fox LOCATION:
USA
Technical: 3.5
Moral: 3.5
CINEMA rating: PG 13 (For viewers aged 13 and below with
Parental Guidance)
It’s
a decade since we were first introduced to the everlasting nut-seeking Scrat
(or even before because we got to like him—feel sorry for him—in several promos
and trailers). Ice Age was released in 2002. The second film (and a game) in 2006. The third in 2009. Then a television short in 2011. And, here we are again. Ice
Age has become part of family movie culture and of cinema animation.
And,
Scrat is at it again. But, glad to say,
he has more screen time than before. He
gets to reappear throughout the film.
And, at the end. his nut-avarice
seems to be the cause of Atlantis sinking beneath the Atlantic Ocean, a piece
of the mythology that we never realized before!
However,
we are also soon introduced to a motley collection of prehistoric animals who
have become friends—to littlies and oldies alike. They get to do some typical action so we are
back in familiar territory with familiar characters. And the voices that we are know are back
again (with shots of the voice talent to be seen in the final credits). Ray Romano is the ever-sturdy mammoth leader,
Manny. Diego the sabre-toothed tiger is
Denis Leary. John Leguizamo and Sid the
Sloth are as ditsy as ever. And, there
are some new voices. Peter Dinklage is
most welcome as the ape pirate chief, Captain Gutt; Jennifer Lopez as a female sabre-toothed
tiger in his crew; Wanda Sykes as Sid’s potty grandmother. Even Patrick Stewart
turns up at the end as Ariscratle, showing Scrat around Atlantis. There are lots of American and British talent
as the animals and the pirates.
The
story is a variation on what we have seen before. But, that doesn’t matter much because the
formula was a good one. There are the
usual dangers of the Ice Age, glaciers splitting, mountains crumbling—though we
are shown just how Australia and Africa were the result of all these rumblings. And, then a trek.
When
Manny, Diego, Sid and Granny are separated from the rest of the herd, adrift on
an iceberg, Manny is determined to find his wife and daughter (with whom he has
been having teenage problems about going out and getting home late) and lead
his little band home. The menace this
time is the pirate gang, a scraggly lot except for a very fat seal, but enough
to cause lots of mayhem and set up battles and escapes. Formula, but very agreeable.
And
the formula seems to work for young audiences as well as older audiences. To think that the young audience which enjoyed Ice Age is now entering the teens!
I hope they enjoy this one and don’t look down on the little brothers
and sisters who will be laughing and excited. By Peter Malone
