Ice Age 4: Continental Drift (2012)

The fourth instalment in this popular animated series, this film is set several years after the previous instalment.

It opens - as with all the earlier films - with Scrat doing everything he can to protect his precious acorn. But in his adventures, all of a sudden, cracks begin to appear in the ice he is travelling on, the ground opens up and he is sucked down into the earth.

The ice continues to crack, and the ground begins to separate; the plates of the earth begin to shift, and newly-formed continents begin to drift (hence the film’s subtitle).

We then see Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah), looking for their now teenage daughter, Steffie (Nicki Minaj). It seems she has gone again to the falls - a place she is forbidden to go to, as this is where all the young delinquents hang out - with her friend, molehog Louis (Josh Gad).

Steffie, you see, has a crush on another mammoth, Ethan (Drake). Manny - after finding her - forbids her from going to the falls yet again.

It is about this time that Sid’s long lost family show up with his Granny (Wanda Sykes) in tow. They leave her with Sid (John Leguizamo), and abandon him yet again.

Manny (Ray Romano), with Diego (Denis Leary) and Sid (John Leguizamo) in the background.

When Steffie goes back to the falls again - only to be found by Manny, Ellie, Sid and Diego (Denis Leary) - again, all of a sudden, the ice begins to crack and the ground begins to fall away, separating Manny, Sid and Diego from the rest of the creatures at the falls.

Pulled out into the open sea by the strong currents, they are swept away, and must spend the rest of the film trying to find their way back to the others.

Along the way, they encounter a group of pirates, led by the egomaniacal Captain Gutt (Peter Dinklage).

I won’t describe the plot any further, for fear of spoiling your own enjoyment of the film.

Sid (John Leguizamo).

The animation in this film continues to improve, as technology has continued to develop in the intervening time since the previous film. The rendering and animation, particularly of the water, is absolutely stunning, and super realistic.

John Powell’s score is excellent, and perfectly matched to the on-screen action throughout the film’s 87-minute duration. In fact - as is the case with a lot of animated films - almost the entire film is scored; there are only brief moments where there is no music.

The screenplay, by Michael Berg and Jason Fuchs, seems - at least to me - to be even better than at least the previous two instalments. It has been some time since I have watched the original film, and perhaps my memory is slightly biased, but I would still attest that the first one was and is the best of the lot. However, even if that is the case, this film comes a very close second. The interaction between all the characters, and the many twists and turns of the plot, will keep you glued to your seat, and your eyes glued to the screen, from start to finish.

Crash (Seann William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck) are back again, too, of course.

The performances of the voice cast are also fantastic. I know I have mentioned the returning cast members in previous reviews (I have reviewed the previous three films already, and will eventually get to the fifth instalment in due course), but I would like to discuss the new cast members for a moment.

A particular standout in this film is Peter Dinklage, who plays his role with the perfect balance of humour and threat. He seems well suited to his character, and brings him to life in a wonderful way.

Directors Steve Martino and Michael Thurmeier have made an incredibly entertaining film here, a difficult task for any film that is the fourth instalment in a franchise (as mentioned above, I will also be reviewing the fifth film in the very near future). If you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth a look, though I would advise you watch the previous films first to get a better understanding of the characters, and how they all relate to each other.

8 out of 10.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)

The whole gang are back for yet another adventure in this next instalment of the popular Ice Age franchise.

Mammoths Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) are expecting their first child, and Manny is incredibly nervous. Every time Ellie feels even the slightest twinge, he goes into a panic, certain the baby is on its way.

But at the same time, he is excited to become a father, and has prepared a playground for the coming child.

Sabre-toothed tiger Diego (Denis Leary) is starting to feel like he needs to move on, that he doesn't really belong in the group anymore. Possum brothers Crash (Seann William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck) are excited along with Manny and Ellie about the impending birth, but still keep to their same antics.

Manny (Ray Romano) and Diego (Denis Leary).

But poor sloth Sid (John Leguizamo) feels the most out of sorts. Not wanting to feel left out, he is anxious to prove that he can be responsible enough to be a parent, and when he discovers three unattended eggs, he takes them for himself.

Soon after, the eggs hatch, and Sid now finds himself the proud (adopted) parent of three T-Rex babies.

And when the young dinosaurs' mother returns, and finds her children with Sid, she takes all four of them (yes, including Sid) and returns back to her home.

Now, the rest of the gang must track her down to bring Sid back. Venturing underneath the ice after her, they discover a entire undiscovered world filled with dinosaurs of all kinds.

Guided along the way by a weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg), they encounter all manner of obstacles in their quest to rescue their 'friend' and return to safety, hopefully before the baby is born.

Sid (John Leguizamo) with his three 'adopted' children.

The screenplay written by Peter Ackerman & Michael Berg & Yoni Brenner & Mike Reiss, is a decent addition to the overall storyline of the series of films. The characters are as clearly defined as ever, and the resulting plot draws much from the personalities of the characters, which are the same as they have ever been. And with a cast that have all returned to voice their same characters, the film feels very much like it belongs with the preceding parts.

John Powell's score is well-written, the perfect accompaniment to the on-screen action and the emotion and tension of the scenes throughout. When it comes to animated movies, the score is perhaps an even more important element than it would be in a live-action film. Powell clearly understands this, and brings a whole new dimension to the story with his music.

The performances of the voice cast - as mentioned in reviews of the two previous instalments - are perfect, and all the actors are well-suited to their roles. Voice-over acting is a very different 'beast', and not every actor can pull it off in a way that works effectively. However, all the performers in this film bring their all to their roles, and portray real characters with only the use of their voice.

Buck (Simon Pegg), with Crash (Seann William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck).

As a part of a series - that has at the time of writing a further two instalments following it - I have to say that it is not my favourite of the films so far. It is still a decent film, but is by no means the best of the first three.

Directors Carlos Saldanha & Mike Thurmeier have made an enjoyable film here, but as I have mentioned, not the best of the series so far. If you enjoyed the previous two films, though, I would certainly recommend you watch this one, too; there is still much to be enjoyed. The story is entertaining, but it starts to feel like the appeal of these characters is wearing thin.

5 out of 10.

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (2006)

All your favourite characters from the first movie of the series are back again (well, most of them anyway) for yet another hilarious adventure.

The ice that covers the entire earth is beginning to melt, meaning that all the animals need to move from where they are, or they will drown.

And so Manny the mammoth (Ray Romano), Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) and Diego the sabre-toothed tiger (Denis Leary) begin slowly migrating.

Manny is feeling a little depressed, feeling that he is the last mammoth alive, and that his species is close to extinction.

Diego (Denis Leary) and Sid (John Leguizamo) during one of their frequent
disagreements.

But as the migration moves along, the three of them discover another mammoth - a female - named Ellie (Queen Latifah).

The only problem is, Ellie thinks she's a possum, like her 'brothers' Crash (Seann William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck).

So before Manny can share his feelings with Ellie - if indeed he will - he must first convince her that she is in fact a mammoth.

The screenplay for this film, written by Peter Gaulke & Gerry Swallow & Jim Hecht, is very funny, making the most of the comedic possibilities that come from these ridiculously mismatched characters. The three protagonists we met first in Ice Age are just as funny as ever in this sequel. And by introducing several new characters - who have their own foibles and shortcomings - the writers create some great comedy; I would even go so far as to say that the screenplay is even funnier than that of the original.

One of audiences' favourite characters, Scrat too returns in this instalment.

Computer animation has even come a long way between the first film and this film, with even greater definition of things like fur and water, both of which feature greatly in the environment of the film.

The cast are all fabulous, especially our three protagonists. I know I say this a lot when reviewing animated movies, but when one considers that voice actors tend to record their dialogue separately from each other, the fact that these characters seem to have such a great banter and relationship between themselves is testament to the skill of the actors involved. A fair amount of the humour in the film does indeed come from the interrelationships of the characters, and the back-and-forth nature of their many arguments.

The score of the film, composed by Will Edwards & John Powell, is quite an achievement. Almost the entire film is underscored by wonderfully written music which, while not uncommon in animated films, would certainly be quite jarring in a live-action film. For some reason, with animated movies, scoring from beginning to end - or so-called wall-to-wall music - seems to work well. And in this film, it works incredibly well, with the music following the on-screen action at every turn, and highlighting the more intense moments of the plot.

Manny (Ray Romano) trying to convince Ellie (Queen Latifah) that she is indeed
a mammoth and not a possum.

Director Carlos Saldanha has outdone even himself with this film, a film that as I have already mentioned, I believe to be slightly better than its predecessor. There are three more sequels - so far - in the series, which I will be reviewing in due course, but this is certainly my favourite of the series to this point.

7 1/2 out of 10.