Ice Age: Collision Course

The fifth film in the Ice Age series, Collision Course is yet further proof that the – at first – quirky story of the plucky mammals facing impending extinction has once and for all succumbed to franchise bombardment.

The original cast and crew return once again with Sid (John Leguizamo), Manny (Ray Romano) and Diego (Denis Leary) slogging through yet another perilous adventure, this time taking the form of asteroids and cosmic conundrums threatening the earth. Meanwhile, Manny adjusts to his daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer) marrying the irritatingly upbeat new character Julian (Adam Devine), and Sid laments his inability to find romance. Lovable rogue Diego simply keeps being as sharp-spoken and curt, as always. Scrat, of course, is back, too; his return is bolder than ever as we see him smashing through the cosmos like a giant game of pinball. After four iterations of the same gags, it feels tired, much like the rest of the film.

It’s painfully clear that veteran screenwriters Michael Wilson, Michael Berg and Yoni Brenner recognise there is little else to do with this new offering. At this stage, the stakes simply don’t feel engaging enough, and the increasingly artless jokes fall deaf to more mature ears. The character progression, which once provided the comically relatable moments, has been relegated to the side-lines, falling under the shadow of the jam-packed roster of new characters, desperately seeking to add some fresh pace.

While kids can still be entertained by the fart jokes and slapstick affairs that filled the four predecessors, a whole slew of spinoffs and short films, it really is time to bury this one under the ice. Bar that, just send it straight to DVD.

Alexander Corona

Ice Age: Collision Course is released nationwide on 15^th July 2016.

Watch the trailer for Ice Age: Collision Course here: