Ice Age: Collision Course Review

Directors: Mike Thurmeier, Galen T. Chu 

Starring: Melissa Rauch, Adam Devine, Jennifer Lopez, Simon Pegg, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Ray Romano, Jessie J, Keke Palmer, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck

The Overview 

Scrat’s epic pursuit of his elusive acorn catapults him outside of Earth, where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the planet. (Source: IMDb) 

The Good

It’s hard to believe this is now the fifth film in the Ice Age series and it is 14 years since the first movie came out! It is curious that the target audience for this film probably weren’t even old enough to appreciate the sequel when that came out in 2006. Nevertheless, this franchise continues to be wildly popular, however unlike the Pixar and Dreamworks films which can still be enjoyable for the adults who were kids when they first came out, Ice Age seems to have left them behind and there’s little here to enjoy if you’re not a child. 

Let’s focus on the positives for now though. With an Ice Age movie you can always hope for plenty of zany comedy and a dash of cute and cuddly, and Collision Course delivers all of this in abundance. The humour is a little silly and very slapstick, but there’s a handful of quips which might go over young heads that make the experience bearable for the adults! Simon Pegg’s fast-talking, slightly insane weasel Buck was the highlight for me, out of all the new characters introduced across the films, he’s easily the best, and provided most of the big laughs in the film for me. 

The animation is pretty good; it’s not up to Pixar and Dreamworks standards, but the animals in particular look great, and I’d recommend seeing in 3D as there’s lots of moments which lend themselves to 3D. 

The Bad

There’s absolutely no doubt that this series has run its course. The original movie was incredibly sweet, an endearing story of three unlikely friends who had to work together to save a baby. From there on the films just seemed to get crazier and more drawn out. The ever-expanding cast of characters meant the three main critters from the first movie faded more and more into the background as everyone jostled for screen time. Nowhere is this more evident than in Collision Course. There’s now roughly 10 animals in the main “tribe”, and it’s so obviously structured so that each character gets their line in and gets their moment in turn, that the narrative really suffers. 

The story is very simple, and I can’t help but feel like we’ve been watching the same story over the last four movies, the only difference being some variation on which world-ending threat the animals are facing this time!

Of course, none of these problems will phase children who will lap up the bright colours, simple story and crazy humour, but it is a shame that there is so little for adults to enjoy here. 

The Verdict

I saw this movie so you don’t have to. Unless you have kids, in which case definitely go and see it! I did enjoy watching this film, but despite its world-ending subject matter, it is largely inconsequential and ultimately forgettable. It’s inoffensive and you won’t be bored, but when compared with Dreamworks and Pixar’s latest offerings, it just doesn’t cut it. 

Agree with everything I’ve said, or am I a totally misguided idiot who has got it all wrong? Let me know in the comments below!