What sounds like an exciting premise for ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift,’ falls short because it lacks character development. Right off the bat, we’re bombarded with old and new characters as Manny the mammoth is having daughter problems. She wants to be cool so she can impress a hunky teen mammoth. Of course Manny gets over protective and they argue. In between their argument, the continent starts breaking apart and he’s separated from his friends and family. Diego, the sabre toothed tiger and the outcast sloth, Sid all land on the same iceberg as Manny and their quest to come back home begins. They encounter a misfit crew of evil pirates led by a hater baboon named Gut. It turns out Gut is just a bad guy because he’s a pirate. There’s no real reason why he hates Manny so much but Gut likes to capture him and make fun of him. Throughout the gang’s adventure, Manny and his friends encounter a tropical island, Scratt, sirens and cool looking iceberg ships.
The story definitely had potential. I like that it used an iceberg as a vehicle to explore new locations. The filmmakers could’ve done so much more but instead they focused on stereotypical characters. For instance, there’s a sabre toothed pirate that’s a love interest for Diego and I already knew what would happen by the end of the movie. The sirens could’ve been funny but since there’s no build up, I didn’t care. The tension is lacking, so as the final action scene is about to begin, there’s no doubt that the good guys will prevail.
Although there are too many characters, there are several funny ones including Sid’s grandma and the locals in the island. There’s moments of brilliance in this movie because they’re done right. The Granny is set up to be naive and a know it all so when she accidentally has a mis-hap, it’s actually funny. The critters in the island were cute and innocent but they were brave enough to stand up against the pirates. There’s a really funny scene that pays tribute to Braveheart. Scratt’s adventure for mecca acorn city is the best part of the movie. His obsession reminds me of Gollum in Lord Of The Rings but of course, much more funnier.
I expected too much from “Continental Drift” after seeing the funny trailer. I thought it was going to be entertaining from beginning to end. Instead, it lacks character mixed in with several funny moments.
Grade: C+
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