Movie Review: The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild

The “Ice Age” series began in 2002 with Ice Age, a mildly entertaining if not completely forgettable film which told the story of three unlikely friends trying to survive an extinction event with one another. The film starred Ray Romano as Manny, John Leguizamo as Sid, and Denis Leary as Diego. It was a hit and a franchise blossomed. 

Subsequent entries – Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), only notable in that it featured the introduction of Queen Latifah’s Ellie (as well as her “brothers” Eddie and Crash) to the group; Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009); Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012); and Ice Age: Collision Course (2016) – suffered from the law of diminishing returns as each sequel grew staler and tread more on the perpetuation of sight gags and cheap humor than the familial relationship between the main characters. The now interminable series continues with The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, a movie so slovenly constructed that you might be inclined to think that Sid the Sloth had some hand in putting it together. 

The new film continues the adventures of the two possum brothers Crash (Vincent Tong) and Eddie (Aaron Harris) as they decide to leave the comfort of home to live a life of independence. They soon find themselves in the lost world of dinosaurs that was discovered in Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Luckily, the gang’s old friend Buck Wild (Simon Pegg) happens upon them and takes them under his wing to ensure their safety. 

Simon Pegg in “The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild.” © 20th Century Studios/Courtesy Everett Collection.

Now, the film becomes a race against time to stop the big-brained triceratops Orson (Utkarsh Ambudkar) from destroying the happy ecosystem that exists in the Lost World. Of course, during this – Ellie (Dominique Jennings), Sid (Jake Green), and Diego (Skyler Stone) – are searching for Crash and Eddie. At least we are meant to assume they are as that aspect of the story is not focused on in any great detail. (Perhaps this was done to draw attention away from the fact that the characters are now voiced by three completely new actors.) 

In any event, there is little to enjoy in this film that rings in at a mercifully short 82 minutes that somehow still seems a bit too long. Everything feels forced and simply crammed into a script by Jim Hecht, William Schifrin, and Ray De Laurentis that feels designed by a poorly constructed screenwriting computer. There are few instances of legitimate entertainment within director John C. Donkin’s film. 

While the series may have started on a relatively high note, it has proven unsustainable over the course of four, and now five, subsequent films. Although The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild may find some solace in entertaining a small core audience, it does very little to add to the anticipation for a look at Mr. Wild’s further adventures. 

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com

An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

@miketyrkus

Mike Tyrkus

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