OK... but not the best so far.

Rating: 7/10 (27 July 2012)

The trio is back with the fourth installment- or no? Ice Age 4 revisits Manny, Diego and Sid in an all new adventure with a geological flavour of event- the Continental Drift happening before their very eyes, comically caused by the ever-pursuing Scrat over the acorn. As years have passed, Peaches (Manny and Ellie's daughter mammoth) grows up into a young teen, Sid welcomes his family especially his grandma and Diego finds love in their quest. The Earth plates begin to move, resulting in the trio being separated from the rest of their community. Soon, they face pirates and must work together to survive and reunite with their loved ones. That's about it. Simple, direct and somewhat formulaic.
That's what Ice Age has been doing and the third (Dawn of the Dinosaur) paid well of as it becomes my favourite of this franchise. I particularly enjoyed the first half of the movie- how the Earth or land splits and moves with the graphics a wonder to watch and the hilarious scenes like the trio going through a storm. The ending falls rather flat and short. Unlike the Dawn of the Dinosaur (yes, i'm comparing with the third but i shouldn't), i didn't get the suspense and thrill when watching the climax of events. No doubt, this movie has everything done neat and clean but i personally did not find it memorable.
The characters remain an interesting herd to watch. Manny continues to be grumpy but apart from that, now he becomes a father figure. Sid's craziness and wackiness is one of the strongest points of the show, or franchise to be exact. He never stops to entertain with his awkwardness. And Diego, i guess every man would relate to him- being masculine and tough yet soft on the inside. Peaches and Louis cute friendship. Again, that's just it. I found this movie to lack characterization in the other characters. The granny introduced was a nice addition but sometimes, i find her to be a tad too annoying. The pirates were just pirates playing their roles as villains but nothing further.
This movie is OK may be because i had a high expectation of this movie since the third installment. Hopefully this is not the last of the Ice Age franchise because i am not thoroughly satisfied with an ending as such. Much said, it is still a good watch for a family outing because apart from the comical scenes and adventure, Ice Age 4: Continental Drift does have some values to learn and reminds you that you have each other.