Lazy slapstick

Rating: 3/10 (19 August 2006)

If you've seen the first part of 'Ice Age' you already know what to expect from the sequel: silly, annoying animals; electronic animation that combines beautiful rendering of the central characters with a cartoony background; not much in the way of a plot; and a slightly nonsensical, life-affirming message. This movie got a lot of criticism which is strange only because its predecessor was more liked; to my mind, both are relatively second rate if compared to the best of the genre. What I really dislike is the lazy way the story blows its own potential: there's an underlying poignancy in the tale (which is set against the backdrop of the extinction of the mammoths), and yet the bizarre conclusion (that the mammoths are alive and well after all) not only makes no sense (even the youngest child knows there are no mammoths any more) but also makes the whole basis on which we have been invited to interact with the film seem fraudulent. Compared to the way that films like 'Toy Story' and 'Madagascar' actually engage with the reality of life and death (while still managing to be very funny), it seems like a poor showing, and proof that computer graphics alone are not enough to make a good film.