There comes a time for some film franchises to come to a close, especially when there is no more story to tell. And six films after its first release nearly 20 years ago, “The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild” signifies that the franchise has exhausted its trio of misfits ice age animals surviving all of the prehistoric cataclysms thrown at them. Manny the mammoth, Sid the sloth, and Diego the saber-tooth tiger, along with Ellie, another mammoth, and her possum brothers Crash and Eddie, have seen it all and then some. While the herd has survived it all, their relationship will be put to the test when Crash (Vincent Tong) and Eddie (Aaron Harris) strike out on their own after Manny tells them its time for them to contribute to the herd or move out.
And that’s the odd thing about a film that’s titled “The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild.” Because much of the film centers on the continued escapades of possum brothers Crash and Eddie, who set out to find a place of their own. Their reckless behavior causes a large-scale avalanche forcing their misfit herd to move from their comfortable habitat. Tired of putting up with their antics, Manny tells the two that they aren’t independent, don’t have any skills that are beneficial to the herd, and don’t take responsibility for their actions. So, Crash and Eddie set out to prove him wrong. However, in their misguided attempts to become more mature, they find themselves back in the Lost World.
With their return, Crash and Eddie soon become the targets of a pair of dimwitted raptors. As they try to keep the predators off their tails, they are saved by the fearless adventurer Buck Wild (Simon Pegg). But its only as Orson (Utkarsh Ambudkar), evil talking Protoceratops that wants to rule the Dinosaur World, sends the same pair of raptors out on a hit. Luckily, Zee (Justina Machado), an enigmatic adventurer skunk/zorilla is there to rescue them both. Zee, a former friend, and teammate of Buck Wild, is determined to bring equality and justice to the Lost World.
While the introduction of new characters presents a delightful expansion to a franchise that has long exhausted its prehistoric disasters, it doesn’t save the franchise from a long, drawn-out simplified story about family and appreciation. Characters are once again constantly at odds with each other, and some are far too stubborn to admit who is at fault for driving each other apart. And the bickering can go on like this for far too long, especially when the cheap humor elongates the process. Then there’s the fact that Manny, Sid, Diego, and Ellie realize how much Crash and Eddie are a part of their herd, so they go after them.
It gets to a point where the ending couldn’t come soon enough. This is ultimately disappointing for a franchise that has set itself apart from the powerhouse animation studios like Walt Disney, Pixar, Sony, and Dreamworks. In addition, the animation itself doesn’t look like anything like its predecessors, as the textured 3D animation doesn’t mesh with the 2D template backgrounds.
The visual gags are there where Manny and Diego use pinecones are earplugs to ignore Sid’s yammering. Crash and Eddie also roast mushrooms but refer to them as mushrooms. There’s even some contemporary humor about Sid never getting a return address from his family. But at this point, it feels like the jokes are running about as dry as the stories. There’s nothing particularly interesting or funny about them. The mission to save the Lost World from Orson or the herd rescuing Crash and Eddie isn’t treated with any urgency. Although, the film tries to establish it with some emotional flashbacks of Ellie recalling how Crash and Eddie saved her, and what she learned from them.
But the heartfelt stories and genuinely family-friendly humor aren’t the only things missing from this latest Ice Age film. Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, John Leguizamo, and Denis Leary don’t reprise their roles as Manny, Ellie, Sid, and Diego, respectively. Even the lovable acorn-chasing Scrat is no where to be found. But, of course, the young audience who are jumping into this franchise without having watched any of their predecessors wouldn’t care about the different actors or lackluster animation. I mean, there are talking animals, some of whom are doing flips, kicks, and other goofy things. So, there is an appeal to a much younger demographic. But it’s difficult for those who have grown up with the franchise to see how they might be interested in this.
Though “The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild” is more of a watch at your own risk for those who are over a certain age, it’s a very good straight-to-streaming service content for those below that particular age. If anything, it sets the bar pretty low for those starting at the very end of the franchise.
6/10
