CS Weekly Archive > Weekend Read > 03/31/06

Just a Bit Above Room Temperature

By peter clines

The mismatched "herd" of prehistoric creatures from the first movie has been living in relative peace for the past couple of years. Now the big thaw is coming, though, the ice is starting to crack, and they need to reach the far side of the valley to escape the impending flood. Alas, on many levels, this journey is nowhere near as challenging as one would expect.

Ice Age: The Meltdown

Peter Gaulke, Jim Hecht, and Gerry Swallow
Story by Peter Gaulke and Gerry Swallow

The Ice Age has finally reached an end, and the great glaciers that surround the valley are melting. Alas, they're melting fast enough that danger is looming, and it's time for another great migration. Manny the mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano), Diego the sabretooth tiger (Denis Leary), and Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) begin the long trip across the valley to a mythical boat that will save all the animals from the coming flood. There are other threats to contend with on the journey, though, as even older predators are released from the ice to prowl the ever-deepening and spreading waters. And through it all, Manny can't help but notice the dwindling number of mammoths in the world, or that Ellie(Queen Latifah), the only other one he can find, seems to think she's a possum…

Ice Age: The Meltdown is very entertaining. There are quite a few good laughs, some very funny sight gags, and a flock of vultures singing "Food, Glorious Food!" from Oliver as they pirouette above the bleak canyon our heroes are trudging through. There's also more screen time for the immensely popular character of Scrat the squirrel (voiced -- or chattered, at least -- by Chris Wedge), continuing his Wile E. Coyote-esque attempts to claim and hold his beloved acorn in a series of non-sequitor cutaways.

However, when all is said and done, there really isn't much to the film when it comes to story. The plot is simple and straightforward, the humor predictably anachronistic, and the conflicts are all resolved with a minimum of stress, effort, and time. Granted, children are the target audience for this movie, but after Pixar repeatedly raised the bar with animated tales like Toy Story and The Incredibles, a film like this suddenly seems incredibly shallow. There are no subtle plot points or hidden levels of humor for the adults in the audience, or even to stir the thoughts of older children.

For a story centered around potentially doomed prehistoric creatures, the very relevant topic of extinction is almost completely skirted (although subjected to a few awful songs from Sid). Manny has mere moments to ponder the grim implications of his solitary existence before Ellie literally drops from the sky. Even with her somewhat confused mental state, there's never any doubt that the two will connect, and so extinction becomes more of a dating issue than anything else. By the end of the movie one could easily leave under the assumption that the mammoths (and the sabertooths, and giant sloths) are all alive and flourishing today. The concept and obvious parallels of a mythical boat that will save all the animals from a great flood are equally ignored.

In the end, aside from the spectacular CGI and some fairly well known voices, Meltdown is on par with any really good Saturday-morning cartoon. However, after the cleverness of films like Hoodwinked or the sheer majesty of The Incredibles, you expect a bit more from an animated theatrical release and, alas, this movie doesn't quite deliver.

Ice Age: The Meltdown
20th Century Fox
Rated PG; 90 min.

Buy tickets now

Buy the poster

Peter Clines has had a lifelong love affair with the movies. He grew up in New England, where he studied English literature and education, and now lives and writes somewhere in Southern California. If anyone knows exactly where, he would appreciate a few hints.

From the Trenches
Working screenwriters discuss in their own words a particular aspect of screenwriting, from the mechanics of writing to the personal and professional impact that writing has had on their lives. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Art of Craft
Screenwriting experts discuss how to approach various aspects of writing and the writing life. A mini-seminar each week from the people who write the books and teach the classes. > VIEW ARCHIVE

The Big Picture

Features that cover all aspects of screenwriting, from our "Seven Best" lists to analysis of old favorites and new classics. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Expert Witness
A panel of experts assembled to provide the facts about the screenwriting business. Readers will be able have their questions answered by an agent, producer, entertainment attorney, and WGA representative—and without paying that 10% commission. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Son of a Pitch
A weekly tutorial on how to write a script. Each week deals with a different element of creating a script, with the ultimate goal to provide a step-by-step instruction manual for new writers. The guide for this is a writer just diving into screenwriting himself, who asks the pros questions any new screenwriter would have about this brave new world. > VIEW ARCHIVE

Weekend Read
Film, book, web site and technology reviews from a writer’s perspective. How can these items help a writer on his or her journey, or make that journey more enjoyable? > VIEW ARCHIVE

DVD Review of the Day
DVD reviews from a writer’s point of view. What aspects of this script and features of this DVD illuminate the writing, development, and storytelling process? > VIEW ARCHIVE