Rated
PG (Mild Rude Humor and Action/Peril)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 34 Minutes
Cast
(voice)-
Ray
Romano-Manny
John
Leguizamo-Sid
Denis
Leary-Diego
Dana
Elaine Owens/Queen Latifah-Ellie
Keke
Palmer-Peaches
Josh
Gad-Louis
Wanda
Sykes-Granny
Aubrey
Drake Graham/Drake-Ethan
Onika
Tanya Maraj/Nicki Minaj-Steffie
Heather
Morris-Katie
Seann
William Scott-Crash
Josh
Peck-Eddie
Joy
Behar-Eunice
Alan
Tudyk-Milton
Peter
Dinklage-Captain Gutt
Jennifer
Lopez-Shira
Aziz
Ansari-Squint
Nick
Frost-Flynn
Rebel
Wilson-Raz
Chris
Wedge-Scrat
Patrick
Stewart-Ariscratle
Directed
by Steve Martino and Michael Thurmeier
 |
| Manny (Ray Romano), Sid (John Leguizamo), and Diego (Denis Leary) find themselves on the run from pirates in "Ice Age: Continental Drift." |
Like
Marvel and DC, the world of CG animation in Hollywood is dominated by two
studios: Pixar and DreamWorks Animation. Of course, there are a number of
smaller studios that also exist in the industry, one of which is Blue Sky, a
subsidiary of 20th Century Fox. Founded in February 1987 by Chris Wedge, Carl
Ludwig, and four others who had previously worked on Disney's groundbreaking
"Tron," Blue Sky mainly concentrated on the production of television
commercials and visual effects for film throughout the late 1980's and 1990's
until they were acquired by Los Angeles-based VIFX in August 1997. Known collectively
as Blue Sky | VIFX, the newly formed company contributed visual effects for a
number of films such as 1997's "Alien Resurrection" and 1998's
"Blade" but the f/x market crash led to VIFX being sold to Rhythm and
Hues Studios in 1999. 20th Century Fox was considering selling Blue Sky as well
until the studio got their hands on the script for a little film titled "Ice
Age," courtesy of producer Lori Forte. Released on March 15, 2002,
"Ice Age" received positive reviews from critics (77% on Rotten
Tomatoes) and earned $383 million worldwide, over six times its production
budget of $59 million. The film had the third best opening weekend debut behind
Pixar's "Monsters Inc." and "Toy Story 2," establishing
Blue Sky as the third studio to launch a successful CG animated franchise.
However, Blue Sky has yet to achieve the critical acclaim of Pixar as none of its features have won an Academy
Award and the studio has increasingly relied on the "Ice Age" series
as its sole moneymaker. Personally, I've only seen the original and while it
certainly paled in comparison to the works of Pixar and even DreamWorks
Animation, the film benefitted from its likable characters (especially the
acorn-obsessed squirrel Scrat) and strong voice acting. I skipped the sequels
but 2006's "Ice Age: The Meltdown" and 2009's "Ice Age: Dawn of
the Dinosaurs" earned big bucks at the box office despite mixed reviews
with $655 and $887 million worldwide each, so the release of another sequel did not come as a total surprise.
Although Blue Sky's CG visuals have improved by leaps and bounds, "Ice
Age: Continental Drift" fails to break any new ground with its
one-dimensional, formulaic script but there are enough solid laughs, combined
with some enthusiastic voice acting, that prevents this sequel from completely sinking.
The film is preceded by an amusing
four-and-a-half minute short titled "The Simpsons: The Longest Daycare."
Continuing his obsessive hunt for acorns, the squirrel known as Scrat (Chris
Wedge) finds himself plummeting down to the Earth's core, where his manic attempts
to escape causes the supercontinent Pangaea to break up into the continents we
know today. Meanwhile, wooly mammoths Manny (Ray Romano) and his wife Ellie
(Queen Latifah) are trying to manage their nineteen-year-old daughter Peaches
(Keke Palmer), who has a crush on a popular mammoth named Ethan (Aubrey 'Drake'
Graham). Unbeknownst to Peaches, her mole-hog best friend Louis (Josh Gad) also
has feelings for her. Sid's (John Leguizamo) family of sloths arrive for an
impromptu visit after abandoning him back in the first film but they quickly
leave after dropping off his loud-mouthed, obnoxious grandmother (Wanda Sykes),
who suffers from dementia and often speaks to an imaginary pet named Precious.
Due to Scrat's actions, the break-up of the continent separates Manny from his
wife and daughter. He ends up being swept away by a massive hurricane while
trapped on a floating iceberg with Sid, his saber-tooth tiger friend Diego
(Denis Leary), and Granny. A large moving landmass forces Ellie to lead the
surviving herd of animals toward a land bridge, where she hopes to reunite with
her husband. Lost at sea, Manny and his friends are captured by a pirate gang,
led by a giant ape named Captain Gutt (Peter Dinklage). His second-in-command
is the beautiful Shira (Jennifer Lopez), who Diego immediately becomes smitten
with. Captain Gutt tries to persuade Manny to forsake his family life and join
his crew but he refuses. The ape takes this as a personal insult and forces an
oblivious Granny to walk the plank as punishment. However, Manny and Diego
manage to save Sid's grandmother while also destroying Captain Gutt's ship in
the process. The quartet continues on their odyssey toward home but not far
behind is Captain Gutt and his vengeful crew. Together, they vow to take away
everything Manny holds dear, starting with his family.
The "Ice Age"
films have held up surprisingly well since its debut ten years ago but it's
clear that the series is fast running out of steam as "Ice Age:
Continental Drift" offers more of the same, just with higher production
values. Predictable and not to mention formulaic to a fault, the script from
Michael Berg and Jason Fuchs is overstuffed with new characters to make up for
the lack of new ideas and their inclusion seems to be little more than an
excuse to have as many celebrity voices as possible. These characters are
one-note, with only a few lines of dialogue and are utilized as little more
than gags. Granted, the slapstick humor does
provide some laughs even if the material stays firmly in the realm of a
Saturday Morning Cartoon. However, it's telling when the four-and-a-half minute
short that precedes the film proves to be funnier, showing that the "Ice
Age" series is fast approaching its expiration date, although it's clear
that Blue Sky has no intention of stopping at number four. The relaxed
interplay between Manny, Sid, and Diego keeps the film moving at a comfortable
pace but it is Granny who provides the most laughs as she has all the best
lines and benefits from Wanda Sykes' hyperactive voice acting. The subplot
involving Scrat, the series' breakout character, is hilarious and finds the
squirrel searching for a legendary isle rumored to be full of acorns. There's also a memorable encounter with a group of
Sirens and an island full of squeaking chipmunk-like creatures called hyraxes.
Amusingly, Sid communicates with them by flailing around and speaking in
nonsensical gibberish. While Manny and his friends struggle to get home,
"Ice Age: Continental Drift" pads its running time with Ellie leading
a herd of animals toward a land bridge but this parallel story feels tacked on
with its half-baked themes of staying true to who you are and the importance of
familial compromise. Despite the paper-thin plot, the film offers plenty of
colorful action and set-pieces, including a fun song-and-dance number from
Captain Gutt and his crew.
It's impressive to see how much Blue Sky has
improved with their use of CG animation, which is on par with the works of
DreamWorks Animation but still a cut below Pixar. Although lacking the visual
splendor of "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," the characters still
exhibit amazing detail, right down to their fur, and the water approaches
photorealism. As for the 3D, it's certainly better than "Brave" but it
does not add to the experience in any significant way. The brightness issue has
largely been solved by this point and yet 3D films still struggle with creating
a sense of depth even though it should
be easier for a CG animated film. There's nothing inherently wrong with the 3D
in "Ice Age: Continental Drift" but it’s ultimately a perfunctory
extra that you can avoid.
By far the strongest element in the film is the voice
acting and it's obvious that everyone had fun judging from the end credits.
Reprising the roles of Manny, Sid, and Diego are Ray Romano, John Leguizamo,
and Denis Leary, who all turn in solid work but they are upstaged by Wanda
Sykes and Peter Dinklage from HBO's "Game of Thrones." Dinklage's
voice is virtually unrecognizable as Captain Gutt and his enthusiasm shines
through in every scene he's in thanks to his lively performance while Sykes is
her usual acerbic self as Sid's annoying grandmother. The voice cast includes a
lot of celebrities but many of them, such as Aziz Ansari, Rebel Wilson, and
Heather Morris, have only two or three lines of dialogue. Nicki Minaj and Drake
are wasted despite their names being displayed so prominently on the poster. Jennifer
Lopez fares the best as Diego's love interest Shira and represents one of her
better roles, even if she is just providing her voice. The end credits have
most of the cast singing We Are by
Keke Palmer.
"Ice Age: Continental Drift" was released on July 13,
2012 and has received mixed reviews with 45% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted
that it 'has moments of charm and witty slapstick, but it often seems content
to recycle ideas from the previous films.' I saw the film at a morning
screening last Saturday and the children in the audience definitely loved it so
the fact that it has received a less than warm reception means little to its
intended demographic. With a production budget that is significantly less
compared to Pixar, the film should have no problem topping the weekend box
office since it is the only major release. It has already earned $238 million
internationally, making a fifth
installment all but guaranteed. "Ice Age: Continental Drift" brings
absolutely nothing new to the table but it remains a passable animated film
thanks to some solid laughs and excellent voice acting. However, it would be
wise for Blue Sky to diversify itself and not stick with one franchise as its
sole bread-and-butter.
Final
Rating: 3 out of 5
"My
mother once told me that bad news was just good news in disguise."
Posts
