The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild movie review: Disney film suffers due to lukewarm plots, sketchily written characters

2.5/5

Story: As possum brothers, Crash and Eddie decide to disband from their pack and “make a mark of their own in the world," the brave one-eyed weasel Buck volunteers to spearhead their mission. This film charts the adventures that the three have while on a dangerous trail that leads them to Buck’s homeland, the world of the Dinosaurs. 

Crash and Eddie’s bold move to move away from Manny, Diego and Sid may well be the franchise’s way of expanding the much-popular brand that has also successfully raked in big box-office numbers. Seann William Scott and Josh Peck reprise their roles as the constantly bickering pair of possums for this film.

Review: English actor Simon Pegg’s return as Buck was surely the most-awaited element for the sixth instalment in the Ice Age franchise. The fearless weasel first got introduced to viewers in Ice Age: The Dawn of the Dinosaurs (the third film, released in 2009). 

A recurrent figure in the following films, Buck was always one for fierce adventure, one that even risked death sometimes. With this film, Disney has definitely sought to shift its focus on the more tertiary characters so that they may add an element of charm to the globally popular brand.

But to do that, it’s essential that the narrative be equally (if not more) foolproof for optimum audience investment. Crash and Eddie (played by Vincent Tong and Aaron Harris respectively) take centre-stage in Buck’s travels this time. 

The fact that they choose to separate from the original pack of Manny (the mammoth), Sid (the ever-enthusiastic sloth), Diego (the saber-tooth tiger) and Ellie (Manny’s daughter), is mostly because they consider it suffocating. They want to break and prove something of themselves, they believe.

Their need to find a new life lead them to the Lost World, an unknown land where Orson (the antagonist dinosaur, played by Utkarsh Ambudkar) runs an oppressive society that systemically drives away most mammals. 

In their attempts to rectify this grossly unjust set-up, Buck joins the two best friends-cum-brothers and ensures Orson be brought to task.

With The Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Disney was successful in depicting an entirely different world (to the ice age), and yet beautifully captured the essence of it. The entire group’s discoveries and revelations were in tandem with the audiences also uncovering the mysteries of an age where dinosaurs were the reining beings. 

But this element of novelty is completely lost with the new film. Backdrops seem hackneyed, settings evoke déjà vu, and most importantly, characters stir no particular emotion. However, it is commendable how well the film is able to capture the remaining herd grappling with new dynamics and trying to keep the search for Crash and Eddie on.

The two possums’ proverbial ‘adulting’ is what the film essentially highlights. Their Utopian ideals about freedom (cleverly countered by the parallel of Orson’s totalitarian approach to it) that automatically come with ‘growing up’ are promptly shattered once they are in the Lost World. Experiences make them humble and ready to stand accountable for their actions.

Yet, Ice Age: The Adventures of Buck Wild is barely able to conjure a similar charm that the cast has previously known to have. Pegg however, is in stellar form. Gruff and edgy, the weasel is both entertaining and eternally optimistic despite the sorry odds.

Verdict: Whether it be the writing, character development or even the principles it claims it promotes, Ice Age: The Adventures of Buck Wild wants of a soul that is essential for viewers, especially since its predecessors had a throbbing one.