Movie Review: Ice Age: The Meltdown - Page 2

But Sid’s role, unbeknownst to himself is that of the archetypical Trickster; the suffered fool whose cretinism is only the wisdom you need, which you must realise to find the true meaning of your quest and in the end, the meaning of your self. Who said this was a kiddie cartoon? That’s some deep stuff right there. The stuff mythology is all wrapped up with hilarious antics.

As with any respectable sequel, the original gang must meet new people. So it doesn’t take long before our mismatched trio becomes an even funnier sextet. They meet Eddie and Crash, the troublesome possum brothers and their sister Ellie. Ellie is a mammoth raised by possums and she believes she’s a possum too. What could possibly go wrong? Everything of course, and it does.

Adventure after adventure. A mammoth romance is pushed by Sid, who wants them to repopulate the species. The newly enhanced team also has to learn to work together despite “cultural” differences or die in the bowl about to be flooded.

Trouble is never far behind, with thawed-out sea monsters tailing them under the ice. Vultures are flying high over them; there are crises of personality; Diego is frozen with fear when left on a floating ice pellet; religious fanaticism; slight sexual innuendo (but the kiddies won’t catch on); self-realisation. More laugh time than you usually afford yourself in a year. It’s all in there and a bag of chips. The flashback scene with Ellie remembering her childhood can make a grown man cry.

So I’m asking myself, where’s the Disney release? Usually when competitors release animated movies, they release a massive ad campaign, fast-food toys, tie-ins, and abuse of their ownership of ABC to promote their new movie; viciously obliterate the competition. Well they’re nowhere to be seen, because they knew they didn’t stand a chance against this magnum opus of CG animation. Ice Age sells itself, with the help of Scrat and his acorn. But it’s much more than that.

Technically this outing is one of the best-produced CG movies ever seen. It’s simply astounding what has been accomplished here. There is so much realism in a cartoonish environment: the facial expressions follow each other seamlessly and make you feel like the character is real. The animal movements and body structures are all too real. The environment is blissfully beautiful. You easily forget that it’s all CG. Since the movie revolves around flooding, the water has to look good. Imitating water with CG is said to be technically very difficult. Here they made it look easy. The water effects are astonishing. The underwater scenes are even better. It made the underwater scene of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire look like amateur filmmaking. And the tidal wave scene will make you gasp for breath. The obsessive, and perhaps compulsive, attention to the smallest detail is what makes this CG movie the finest.

Article Author: David Desjardins

Dave works in the IT industry despite his better judgment. He’s an artist at heart with a critical mind. He enjoys photography more than he could ever express. Dave feels a need to tweak his brain with copious amounts of taurine to stay sharp while absorbing all kinds of media on any medium. …

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