Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (2012)
Certified: U
Duration: 94 minutes
Directed by: Steve Martino, Mike Thurmeier
Voices of: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah,. Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Chris Wedge
KRS release
The lovable characters of the Ice Age franchise return to the big screen, intent on keeping the children entertained and the parents happy.
The ecological message is still there but the emphasis is on the laughs and adventure- Johan Galea
Previous instalments saw dinosaurs enter the fray but this time round the adventure is set on the high seas.
As is now the norm, Continental Drift opens with the fanged squirrel Scrat chasing that all so important and elusive acorn.
The usual suspects are there: mammoths Manny and Ellie (Ray Romano and Queen Latifah) and a daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer), Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) and the manly sabre-tooth cat Diego (Denis Leary).
Peaches seems to have reached that age when she starts to set her eyes on males.
That is when an earthquake occurs and their continent drifts apart. The original trio of Ice Age buddies − Manny, Diego and Sid – thus end up on an iceberg floating on high waves.
On their way to safe pastures, they encounter Granny (Wanda Sykes), Sid’s fast-on-the-tongue relative; Shira (Jennifer Lopez), a silver sabre-tooth cat; and an orang-utan called Captain Gutt (Peter Dinklage) who provides us with a prehistoric entry into the pirate genre!
As always, the film is goofy, sweet and humorous. The ecological message is still there but the emphasis is more on the laughs and adventure.
Continental Drift has some really wacky and over-the-top repartee which gives the film a tongue-in-cheek attitude. It also benefits from a swinging and uptempo script.
The franchise has never been the most scientifically accurate but it has always been entertaining and visually accomplished and that is once again the case. The animation is rich and well rounded and has very vibrant colours.
The voicing is very well handled with Jennifer Lopez as Shira being spot on.
Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones as Captain Gutt is a real discovery and he easily sashays away with the film.
Meanwhile, the sirens sequence is a hoot and a real treasure as we see the sirens morphing into every creature’s desire. The film manages to bring together the adventure aspect and plenty of laughs and yet still deliver messages about climate change, how to build self-confidence, the importance of adapting to situations and the value of the people surrounding you.