There’s a meteor headed for Earth and the wisecracking mammals of the “Ice Age” franchise in the series’ fifth installment. It doesn’t take long into “Ice Age: Collision Course” for you to begin rooting for that meteor.
Setting “Collision Course” into motion is Scrat, the blessedly wordless, saber-toothed squirrel with an insatiable craving for acorns. His dogged pursuit of one lands him aboard a spacecraft, where he unwittingly sends a meteor hurtling for Earth, where the rest of the cast is engaged in petty squabbling and dull domestic dramas.
Manny the woolly mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano) is struggling to accept the impending marriage of his daughter to her goofy but well-meaning fiance Julian (Adam Devine). He’s also in trouble with his wife Ellie (Queen Latifah) for forgetting their wedding anniversary. Saber-toothed tiger Diego (Denis Leary) and his girl Shira (Jennifer Lopez) are debating having a baby. Sloth Sid (John Leguizamo) has just been dumped and is bemoaning his single status. There are no interesting conflicts here, just boilerplate “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” sitcom quarrels — totally relatable catnip for child audiences.
