Ice Age: Collision Course

So, it’s true; this movie is most likely the worst one out of the entire series. It confirms the golden rule that when you repeat a joke far too many times, it stops being funny. So once again, there’s a squirrel with a nut, there’s an asteroid that causes ice age… over and over again. But after all, the kids probably won’t mind. (11/22/2017)

The new Ice Age, according to many expectations, is already a bit of a rip-off of its predecessors, but it's not surprising considering that this is the fifth film featuring the old gang. What bothered me the most was the overly obvious overcomplication of the story around Scrat (the idea of a flying saucer is beyond my comprehension after all) and the main characters, who dealt with rather bland and already seen many times problems (getting married, moving away from parents, finding a partner, etc.) that I would look for in human characters. Yet I still laughed out loud a couple of times, especially at the lines of the old lazy grandmother. Unfortunately, the charm, wit and originality of the first (and mostly the third) episode has worn off, so they should rather go in a different direction. In short, a sequel that, although it doesn't offend and isn't downright bad, doesn't bring anything new and is most notable for its mediocrity and predictability. (07/12/2016)

If the fourth part had a dodgy plot, this is something else – have they really lost all judgement at Fox? I've more or less liked all the previous episodes, if only for the heaps of likeable and funny characters, but in this case every element is unbelievably sloppy and bland – from the crazy story that even a five-year-old kid won’t laugh at, to the individual gags that fade away at the expense of pathetic family chatter. Perhaps the only things worth mentioning are a few one-liners from a vigorous granny, the imminent return of Buck, and Scrat's struggle with amplified gravity, during which I couldn’t help but chuckle out loud. They say less is sometimes more, but with this series, the most would be nothing. 40% (05/02/2017)

More annoying than funny... It is very strange to see on the one hand wacky characters doing wacky things, squirming, jumping and screaming strangely, and on the other hand a traditional story about family values. I didn't really care about either, the asteroid plot didn't even seem to matter, and especially when I thought of the recent Croods, who presented almost the same theme in a much more entertaining way, I felt sad. I give points only for Scrat, for maniacal Buck and for few nice jokes.___P.S. If you have a DVD and you're only interested in Scrat's shenanigans, play the 15-minute short: Scrat: Spaced Out, which is basically all of Scrat's scenes edited together and given a different ending. (12/25/2016)

There's competition among cartoons this year where just having a bunch of funny characters definitely won't keep you in the game. It takes a story. Preferably one that will entertain kids and adults in roughly equal proportions. It must be all the better when it features the same characters for the umpteenth time. While it's true that the filmmakers still have some pretty cool ideas for torturing a squirrel chasing his dream nut, isn't it getting a little stale? It's going to need some kind of fresh air, at the very least. Otherwise, the animation is great, although that's become almost commonplace in recent years. 3 stars. (07/24/2016)