Ice Age - Collision Course movie review: A heart-warming evolution

Voices of: John Leguizamo, Ray Romano, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Lopez
Director: Mike Thurmeier, Galen T. Chu

 

Ice Age has been one hell of a series. Since the first instalment, it has been coming back with more laughter, exciting stories, incredible animation and wonderful sound. It has been one of the few series that keeps raising the bar. It is probably one of the most challenging film series that have been produced by the 20th Century Fox. Collision Course has a little less drama involved, but that also means that the scope of drama has been increased for the other characters. There is still a lot of drama, but it has clearly stayed away from the intense spikes, which would make you come to the edge of your seat, often feeling too sad that the family might never see each other. While the entire series so far has revolved around Manfred and his family, this one gives a lot of room for the ageing mammoth to peace out and look forward to a relaxed old age. Peaches, the lovely girl, has found someone she wants to spend her life with, and as usual wants to move out and travel the world with him. This sets up the situation for the emotional turmoil that Manfred and his wife go through. It is incredible, because the story and its characters have grown over the years, along with their audiences.

This instalment brings in a lot of evolution; Sid finally meets someone who expresses her desire for him, sending him into a whirlwind of romance. We also see a much-evolved Buck, whose finesse is extraordinary. He now is equipped with not just street-smartness, but a brilliant mix of scientific, philosophical and rational intelligence. The one-eyed weasel is definitely the futuristic aspirational image of this generation, the ideal manifestation of human mind. Another thing to notice is the extra terrestrial nature of imminent threat, the asteroid and an inanimate object that is the reason for their troubles. It was quite responsible for the production to exonerate the other fellow animals of their villainess.

Unlike the previous instalment where a gang of animals is presented as the villains, this one makes a different statement. It is clear that they do not intend to present some animals in bad light. So the result is a funny, entertaining and thrilling movie, which is also packed with scientific logic and theories. With clear application of laws of physics this one might actually become a good educational movie. It would be so much easier for teachers to explain the elliptical planetary orbits under the influence of gravity. In a mere 25-second scene all this education is delivered and for anyone who wishes to engage with it, there is definitely a lot of inspiration for taking up astronomy or related subjects.

This is definitely a primer for your kids if you want to kindle in them the joy of science. However silly Scrat’s antics maybe, and although he accidentally starts the asteroid towards earth, his lonely fight for the control of the nut packs in scientific detail. The story also goes a little further in anticipating the anxieties of life, the desire to be immortal, and the plausible explanations around that, the utopian world, or the fountain of youth are all classical ideas that have been with humans for centuries and have found themselves in literary works as well as cinematic adaptations. These are such fail-proof ideas that every manifestation of them evokes pleasure in equal measures.

The lives of the other characters are also evolving, Diego and Shira are gradually moving towards having their own family, and there is more than a hint for their story to evolve further, maybe the next instalment will bring us a cub, and it would definitely be something very different from the Lion King. My favourite moment in the movie is Sid finding his mate, the girl happens to be straight out of his most magnificent dreams, and the fact that it is she who proposes is definitely a hope for me. While the other characters can’t believe that it is happening to Sid, he himself is not too sure of it. Whether this story evolves further is something that we’ll have to wait.

It is important to not leave before the credits roll out, as usual Scrat does not live within the story but outside, and therefore he does come in between the credits for another round of laughter. It is incredible to understand the journey of Scrat, a character who is so external to the story and yet the story does not stand without him and his single-minded quest for the nut. This year has been a dampener for sequels so far, but this one seems to live up and deliver more. There is something about its evolution that has kept it afloat, whether on the ice surface or beneath it in the Dino world. I am at peace, I see the characters going through these difficult situations and growing up and living their lives, there is no reason for me to worry about things messing themselves up, or years that lie before me, they will turn out just fine, but I surely want to be like Buck.

The writer is founder, Lightcube Film Society