Ice Age: The Meltdown

The lack of a denser and more spirited plot could be excused by the fact that this is a film for children. But when a little boy of about six, who was sitting behind me in the movie theater, asked his mother questions like "Why are they going there?" and "What are they doing there?", it was clear to me that the second installment of Ice Age was nothing more than a safe bet. It’s a safe bet that throws in one gag after another, interspersed with more "action-oriented" scenes, mammoth (literally) prodding, and very (and I mean very!) poor and awkward attempts at a few little quotes from other films (M:I-II, Saving Private Ryan). Ice Age: The Meltdown is a terrible film that hasn't changed a single pixel, let alone the plot, so the adage that you can only make a single tea out of one tea bag is more than spot on here. (19/05/2006)

The first Ice Age was pretty much about nothing, but it was very entertaining (I gave it four stars). The second one, on the other hand, is completely about nothing and minimally entertaining (only the squirrel saves it). The animation is excellent (with the exception of the big wave) and the sound of cracking ice is great, but the screenplay – from the one-liners and jokes to the use of the characters’ potential for cuteness – ranks among below-average, straight-to-DVD animated B-movies. For a mega-project like Ice Age 2, that is bewildering. (29/03/2006)

It's a pretty nice movie, but somehow I can't help but feel that I enjoyed the first part more than this one. However, I have to appreciate the originality, which also quite well connects to what was in the first film. Scrat is still funny and the main group has grown quite well here. Additionally, the mammoth as a possum is just a wonderfully crazy idea. (23/03/2015)

Yup, the ice age is the ice age... But this time it is so frozen that it is nothing more than condensed boredom. The entire “prehistoric road movie" has turned into a moralizing vehicle for kids, full of wannabe humorous escapades leaping from one iceberg or boulder to the next. And not even the characters are at all intriguing. Even Scrat has problems trying to save the day and he manages only thanks to the final scene in heaven. Perfect for young kids, but pure torture for adults. Let’s hope that this time too that the DVD has a better bonus movie in store for us. (13/08/2006)

This movie was quite a disappointment. I was expecting at least a somewhat balanced sequel to the first movie, but unfortunately, I got a weaker sequel that failed mainly due to the screenplay, and a proper plot. So that – especially with a big project like the sequel to Ice Age – is a somewhat bigger problem. The one thing that is great about this movie is the mammoth-possum Ellie, whose "performance" (can you even call it that?) is destroyed by a pair of annoying possums. So, I am leniently awarding this movie three stars with a wink. (24/07/2008)