What I Rented - Ice Age: The Meltdown

Ice Age: The Meltdown is a “why?” sequel. Creatively they didn’t find a good reason to revisit Manny, Sid, and Diego, so every step of the way you constantly ask…”why?”

“Why is Diego just kind of tagging along this time out?”
“Why are the villains underdeveloped?”
“Why are there so many random sequences that have little to do with the plot?”
“And speaking of plot, why is the plot so thin?”

Besides the obvious…“we needed to make more money”, or, “hey relax, it’s just a funny kid’s movie,” I for one couldn’t really think of any answers.

I liked the first Ice Age. It wasn’t a great movie, but it had a lot of heart, some very funny scenes, and three interesting lead characters who all had simple, but sweet emotional arcs.

Ice Age: The Meltdown doesn’t try to change the formula that the first one established, and because of that there’s nowhere for the characters to go. They kind of had their realizations at the end of the first movie, so here they kind of have the same realizations again.

The plot, as thin as it is, involves a melting ice wall that will cause the valley where many animals are living, including our heroic trio, to flood. So, in order to survive, the animals stage a mass exodus to reach a boat at the other side of the valley.

Manny has to deal with loneliness again (only this time it’s loneliness due to possible extinction), Sid has to find out that despite how annoying he is others do still love him, and Diego has to……..learn not to be afraid of water……..what?.....really?...that’s the best storyline you could come up with for the first film’s most interesting character? Anyway, once again Diego has to discover that he isn’t as strong as he thinks he is.

There are funny scenes here and there, but they feel like bandaids trying to fix a sick script. Ice Age: The Meltdown falls into a terrible pattern that many children’s films are falling prey to recently - lots of noise, lots of action, lots of throwaway laughs, but not enough substance behind any of it.

At least Scrat, the squirrel trying to get his nut, still provides some genuine entertainment.

Star Rating - ** out of 4