![]() I guess you could argue that the Earth itself is the threat, and the impending flood that seems to have sealed all the animals' fate. There is also no real villain or threat to our heroes, except for a pair of carnivorous sea creatures who pop up whenever the screenplay calls for an action sequence. ![]() The movie has a fragmented tone as it hops from one sequence to the next. There really is no story to speak of in this sequel, other than the characters are trying to get from Point A to Point B, and have some misadventures along the way. Where I begin to question the motives of director Carlos Saldanha (Blue Sky Studios' last film, Robots) and his staff is in the plotting. The sometimes juvenile and crude toilet humor is a bit more questionable (A dung beatle is seen rolling a ball of dung along, and complains "why do I have to put up with this crap"?), but it's no worse than some other PG-rated comedies aimed at kids. Somehow, the filmmakers know how to deal with these tricky topics in a way that will not frighten children, yet at the same time does not downplay the relative seriousness of it. Death, extinction, and the end of the world are three themes that are referenced numerous times throughout the film. When you stop and think about it, the Ice Age films are actually kind of depressing and heavy stuff for kids. As this unusual group makes their way to safety, they will each have to conquer their individual fears if they want to avoid extinction. Unfortunately, she doesn't believe she's a mammoth, as she was raised by possums, and prefers the company of her pair of fast-talking possum "brothers" - Crash and Eddie (Seann William Scott and Josh Peck). Fortunately, he comes across a sweet-natured female mammoth named Ellie (Queen Latifah) during his travels. During the journey, as they watch the various animal herds making their way to safety, Manny begins to realize that there are no other mammoths around, and begins to wonder if he is the last of his kind. The ravenous vultures circling in the sky is a sign that they do not have much time, and they must set out for higher ground if they even want a chance at survival. Manny the woolly mammoth (voice by Ray Romano), Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo), and Diego the sabertooth tiger (Dennis Leary) discover early on that the ice that covers the ground is rapidly melting, and in only a few days time, their home will become flooded. What I'm about to say may not sound like the most glowing of praise, but if there has to be a cash-in sequel to Ice Age, we at least have one that manages to be watchable.Īs we rejoin our three heroes from the last film, we find their world is in peril. ![]() I guess the likeable characters and the group of voice talent providing their personalities helped too. The movie would just be meandering along, not really impressing me, and then suddenly there would be a blast of inspiration that would come out of nowhere and make me laugh. ![]() ![]() And yet, despite all this, the movie sometimes catches you off guard and actually works. There's not much in terms of plot to speak of, the characters haven't changed that much from the last time, and it's really just something for parents to take their kids to on Spring Break. By all accounts, Ice Age: The Meltdown is a textbook example of a soulless sequel that exists only to squeeze out some more cash after the original 2002 film became a surprise hit. ![]()
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