Film Reviews

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

• Rating:
• Director: Carlos Saldanha.
• Starring: Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah.
• Details: US, 90mins, U.

Chilling out in warmer climes, Manny (Romano) - the mammoth, Diego (Leary) - the sabre tooth tiger and Sid (Leguizamo) - the sloth's easy life is disrupted when they find that the huge ice dam, separating them from an ocean, is on the verge of breaking and drowning their peaceful valley. Deciding to up sticks and make the perilous journey to the far side of the valley, our three heroes happen on two fun-loving daredevil possums and their older sister Ellie (Latifah) - a mammoth who thinks she is a possum. Teaming up because there is safety in numbers, the eclectic herd avoid rock falls, geysers, drowning and the odd attack from two hungry pre-prehistoric creatures. All the while, vultures lie in wait for the party to die and Scrat - the squirrel-rat - continues his never-ending quest to find that elusive nut. Follow up to the enjoyable and successful Ice Age, Ice Age 2 develops the three characters even further and is not just a rehash of same jokes or story; Manny worries about his species extinction and struggles with his emotions concerning Ellie, the brave Diego panics that his lack of swimming prowess will become common knowledge and Sid demands the respect he feels he's due. Saldanha, who co-directed the previous Ice Age and Robots, offers something different in a contemporary kids animated film. But it is the silent Scrat's - in top class Wile. E. Coyote mode - relentless pursuit of that nut that finds him in increasingly dangerous situations that will garner the best laughs.

Review by Gavin Burke