Going through the motions, but still exciting and visually dazzling

Rating: 7/10 (20 July 2012)

The fourth Ice Age movie has two elements to it: the main one is that, following earthquake upheavals as continents divide, Manny, Diego and Sid get washed away on an iceberg and have to get back to family and friends despite falling foul of pirate ape Captain Gutt and his crew. The secondary plot involves Manny and Ellie's teenage daughter falling prey to peer pressure and having difficulty in being the person she really is, rather than the person she thinks others want her to be. I say "person": she's a mammoth, of course.
The action in this movie starts at frame one and never stops - it is wonderfully animated, visually dazzling (although the 3D is not as effective as it could be), often very funny, and a good, solid, family movie which will keep everybody interested throughout its length.
I wonder if it is just me, though, but I feel there is something missing - this happened with the Shrek films, too. The cleverness is still there, all the ingredients are present, but there is a feel of going through the motions rather than revelling in the delight of creating something new and original.