THE ICE AGE ADVENTURES OF BUCK WILD (DISNEY+) (2022)

SYNOPSIS: Desperate for some distance from their older sister Ellie, the thrill-seeking possum brothers Crash and Eddie set out to find a place of their own, but quickly find themselves trapped in a massive cave underground. They are rescued by the one-eyed, adventure-loving, dinosaur-hunting weasel, Buck Wild, and together they must face the unruly dinosaurs who inhabit the Lost World.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Because kids can’t tell the difference between a Blue Sky Studios production or an outsourced piece of work.

Because kids don’t mind an animation that looks as plain as vanilla.

Because kids had no qualms about the voices behind the characters so long as they sound alike.

The above reasons perhaps explained why the latest spinoff from the ultra-successful Ice Age franchise is easily the worst and definitely one that is made for streaming rather than the big screen.

The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild centers around the two annoying possums, Eddie (Aaron Harris) and Crash (Vincent Tong) who after a squabble with Manny and gang decides to venture outside their comfort zone in search of independence. Their continuing misfits landed them in the Lost World where they encountered the one-eyed weasel Buck (Simon Pegg) and his warrior friend, Zee (Justina Machado). With no one to turn to, Eddie and Crash decides to stay on and assist them in fighting against a villainous Protoceratops, Orson (Utkarsh Ambudkar) and his raptors in a valiant attempt to protect the residents of the Lost World.

As if to remind audiences that this is an Ice Age spinoff after all, Manny, Sid, Ellie and Diego appears in the brief prologue before the whole animation is taken over by Eddie, Crash and Buck. Kids will certainly giggle and entertained by Eddie and Crash’s nonsensical, dim-witted antics or Buck’s constant reliance on his best buddy, lefty (his left hand for the uninitiated) but adults for sure will tune out before they even reach Lost Lagoon in search of yet another returning character, Momma the T-rex.

The screenplay credited to three writers tries hard as in very hard to gel zany humour and non-stop action adventure into one feature length animation. In the end, it’s just one meaningless gag after another. Although the evil Orson is a far more interesting creation than the irritable Eddie and Crash, the character is largely disposable as most of the screentime is devoted to the possum brothers and their repeated lines.

Scrat, the lovable acorn-obsessed squirrel is notable missing right here. The sole bright spot in the flagging franchise will no longer appear in the series due to a trademark dispute which is a huge pity. The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild directed by John C. Donkin (one of the producers of the series) is shamefully a cheap forgettable production to add on to the Disney+ library. Without none of the original voice actors returning and Scrat, it’s time to leave the Ice Age franchise in the ice age.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee