Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)

By now, we are all maybe all a bit too familiar with "Scrat" chasing his acorn and with his expanding group of friends' adventures in the frozen north. I certainly found this story to be entertaining enough, but running short on ideas and somewhat repetitive. When cast adrift on an ice floe, and heading to warmer climes, our wooly mammoth, sloth and sabre-toothed tiger have to figure out a way to tap the northerly sea currents and using an iceberg, get themselves back to the chill where "Ellie" and newborn "Peaches" await them. Along the way, "Manny", "Sid" and "Diego" meet some pirates - think "Pirates of the Caribbean" meets "Jungle Book" led by the whip-wielding "Gutt" and that's what gives "Manny" the germ of a cunning plan. Pinch his ice-ship and sail home! Pirates aren't so forgiving and what ensues proves quite perilous for our wanderers. It's fine, this film - the characters do what they have always done with a script that is adequate, but little better, and a story that I thought ran out of puff by the half way mark. It's quite a far cry from the busy, characterful and entertaining first film ten years earlier and to be honest, it all looks just a bit fatigued. It's still a watchable effort, though, but just bit too wordy and I reckon that this franchise is now ready for bed.