Drifting Off – A Review of Ice Age: Continental Drift
The folks that make the Ice Age movies have done it again. This time, they’ve managed to bring even another popular franchise idea into the mix, namely pirate movies.
Here we find the cuddly mammoth triumvirate in a bit of a pickle. Peaches (Keke Palmer) and her dad, Manny (Ray Romano) are having typical father/teenager issues when Manny objects to the younger mammoth’s dating proclivities.
Meanwhile, Sid’s (John Leguizamo) family has the perfect solution for getting rid of another unwanted hanger on, namely Granny (Wanda Sykes). Dump her on the OTHER unwanted family member, aka Sid.
But when Manny gets set adrift on a shifting iceberg, Sid, Granny and Diego end up along for the ride. This is where the pirates come in.
Led by the arrogant baboon Gutt (Peter Dinklage) the pirates have their own agenda when it comes to living on the splintering planet Earth. A nice addition to the cast is Jennifer Lopez voicing the beautiful and dangerous Shira, a white saber toothed tiger.
Any guesses as to whose love interest she might become?
Ice Age: Continental Drift may be the fourth installment in this franchise, but it still feels fresh. The characters are still as entertaining and acerbic as ever. But their demeanor grows on you.
Denis Leary feels underused in this picture, but Diego still has a significant part to play, here. And let’s face it – the tiger needed a love interest, too.
The movie definitely has elements that will appeal to adults and kids alike, but I think were a little shortchanged here. The lions share of the gags are definitely aimed more at the diminutive, rather than the fully grown.
And as educational fodder for the teens in the audience, this movie will help maximize generated angst. Peaches takes the cake when it comes to being borderline annoying in her psychological pokings of her father during the course of the movie. And the wrap-up of that storyline could have used a tweak or two.
Overall, though, Ice Age is still entertaining and Scrat still manages to steal more than his fair share of scenes with his tracking of the elusive monster Acorn. When he finds it, he’s in for a monster shock.
I give Ice Age: Continental Drift 4 out of 5 stars.