Ice Age 4: Continental Drift Review

Director: Steve Martino, Mike Thurmeier

Cast: Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Wanda Sykes, Keke Palmer, Peter Dinklage

Running Time: 94 minutes

Certificate: U

Synopsis: Manny, Diego, and Sid embark upon another adventure after their continent is set adrift. Using an iceberg as a ship, they encounter sea creatures and battle pirates as they explore a new world.

ICE AGE 4: CONTINENTAL DRIFT comes on the back of three very successful outings, the first two particularly impressive with the third, holding up the rear. A fourth installment was always going to be a risk but…it’s actually rather good.

The beginning is always a good time to confess, and then let reasons develop. What the hell am I talking about? Well, I love Scrat the prehistoric sabre-toothed squirrel. There, said it and ICE AGE 4: CONTINENTAL DRIFT is his platform to kick proceedings off. We arrive in 3D with the obsessional rodent, frantically searching for a place to bury his beloved chestnut in the frozen ground. This might seem like a task fit only for a fool but if you know ICE AGE, you know there’s something about to start and on this occasion, Scrat is the reason for the continents splitting apart approximately 550 million years ago…of course he is!

From there we cut to the dysfunctional, yet practical, usual gang that consist of Manny the Mammoth, Sid the Sloth, Diego The Sabre-Toothed Tiger and their collective family. Manny (Ray Romano) is hooked up with Ellie (Queen Latifah) and they have their younger daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer), a typical teenage girl…but, of course, really a mammoth. Peaches and Manny’s relationship is tantamount to the narrative for ICE AGE 4, his youngest is trying to show off to the cool boy in town and Manny doesn’t like her growing up. He embarrasses her in front of all her friend and she hates him for it. However, just as we think we’re settled in for a pretty standard installment, the world literally starts to break apart. Manny, Diego (Denis Leary), Sid (John Leguizamo) and Sid’s Granny (Wanda Sykes) are thrown into the ocean on a giant iceberg as the rest of the collective are stuck on land but, desperately, they drift apart.

From there, the story is set for them to try and get back together. There are numerous trials and tribulations for both groups, plus a star-studded dysfunctional pirate ship led by Captain Gutt, a cruel and nasty Ape voiced by Peter Dinkage alongside the likes of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Jennifer Lopez voicing a strikingly attractive white tiger named Shira.

What ICE AGE 4: CONTINENTAL DRIFT does that’s particularly impressive, is not only visually up-the-ante but it’s also quick witted, snappy and a beautifully kind film, as we’d hope to expect. Another filmic treat is the visual pratfalls of – particularly – Sid and Scrat, lighting up the screen with every stupid thing they do and it gets better and better as the film progresses with their unique lovable factor. ICE AGE 4: CONTINENTAL DRIFT is undoubtedly a great film for all the family, a massive journey for the characters but most importantly a LOT of fun.

ICE AGE 4: CONTINENTAL DRIFT 3D opens on 13th July.