Movie Review: Ice Age 4: Continental Drift..just about manages to keep it together

Ice Age 4 offers nothing new. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing since the Ice Age series has been pretty good fun all through. However, it is now looking rather episodic and drawn out rather than the fresh presentation the initial versions had. While the other series (Kung Fu Panda, Toy Story) improved with every sequel, this is one series that has pretty much remained the same.
Ice Age 4 then, is just about, the same wine in the same bottle. If anything, its becoming more kids oriented and the gags are comparatively lesser. At this point, I don’t really care if there’s an Ice Age 5, rather I am hoping there isn’t. Part of the reason for this indifference may also be that while the herd started off with fresh and quirky characters, there hasn’t been much progress since Manny, Diego and Sid got together and now they are definitely getting older. By now, even Scrat is beginning to look repetitive – I guess there’s no better indication
As for the current version, well its got all the usual stuff. Animation is top drawer and the 3D is well utilized, though I thought we could’ve done with a little more depth in some scenes. All the voice actors are in good form and the packaging of the movie is also pretty decent. One thing this version definitely misses is more of the smart gags – some laugh out loud moments that the earlier versions offered. Unless they can manage to pull a rabbit out of a hat, this series may well be on its way to extinction. Its been a memorable journey, but its important to realize when its time to go.
Ice Age 4 then, doesn’t make the must watch list. Still, with the other offering being Kya Super Kool Hain Hum..its an easy choice. At least this one won’t give you a headache