In cinemas Thursday [PG]

Directors: Carlos Saldhana & Mike Thurmeier

Runtime: 94mins 

"When you’re on a good thing…" as they say. And we all know how clever "they" are. In this case, they have opened the wallet for another instalment of the Ice Age franchise, and who are we to argue? This is eminently safe territory. After all, Ray Romano and Queen Latifah are on board. I can’t speak for Queen Latifah – she has an amazing voice, and I’ll concede she can act, but her performances in Taxi and Bringing Down the House put me off for life – although everyone loves Ray, right? (Well, actually, I find him really cloying and forced, but I’ve heard that other people who like him, so what do I know?) 

In No. 3, Romano’s mammoth Manny has the jitters in the lead-up to the birth of his first child with Ellie (Latifah), and no precaution can be left unimplemented, to the despair of ‘the herd’ – you know: the animals saved by Manny and his mates from certain destruction in previous episodes. But Manny’s mates are feeling a little left out among all the pre-birth fuss, especially the brainless sloth Sid (John Leguizamo), who is already distressed at the news that the disillusioned – and kind of unfulfilled – Diego (Denis Leary) is planning to sharpen up his sabre-teeth and move on in search of more exciting climes. 

This all leads Sid to undertake an unwise adoption of three very large, apparently abandoned eggs. The resulting calamity on hatching threatens the herd, and endangers Manny and his mates as they set off into a strange underground tropical paradise to rescue the hapless Sid. I’m sorry, I have to say this: it’s a slightly ridiculous plot, and we’re also talking about a world where mammoths and sloths can talk, but squirrels and dinosaurs cannot, so why by pedantic? But then, I was freaked out about the talking autos in Cars, so what’s new? 

Of course, this is a Fox production, so there are very few risks taken. As a result the laughs are all there, and those looking for a little British humour can take heart in Simon Pegg’s fearless Buck, who isn’t afraid to let truth interfere in the telling of a good story. For mine, however, I’ll always be happy to watch the dialogue-free adventures of the single-minded Scrat (Chris Wedge), and his new love interest Scratte (Karen Disher). Does an acorn have to stand in the way of true love? Perhaps not… 

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TIM MILFULL