| 83 |
Entertainment Weekly
Ice Age: The Meltdown blithely looks on the bright side of life, amassing a screen full of vultures to sing and dance ''Food Glorious Food'' and daring us not to get happy.
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| 83 |
Christian Science Monitor
So many movies these days are being linked, often quite tenuously, to current politics. Let this new film be no exception. I am happy to say that Ice Age: The Meltdown points up for toddlers the dangers of global warming.
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| 75 |
USA Today
Should warm viewers' hearts globally.
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| 75 |
Charlotte Observer
The mediocre original, hampered by a saccharine plot and unconvincing reversals of character, earned lots of money but few plaudits. Now comes Ice Age: The Meltdown, a sequel with more humor, topicality, intelligence and appeal.
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| 75 |
Chicago Tribune
This "Ice Age" is still a good movie (especially for kids) with top-of-the-tech CGI.
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| 75 |
Philadelphia Inquirer
While it lacks the heart and hipness of the similar-themed Pixar odysseys, The Meltdown has the physical humor of slapstick comedy.
|
| 75 |
New York Daily News
A good-natured, gag-filled sequel.
|
| 75 |
New York Post
The rare sequel that is better than the original.
|
| 75 |
TV Guide
The series' breakout star remains Scrat (Chris Wedge), a scrawny, speechless rat-squirrel thing trapped in a Sisyphean quest for acorns, and while kids' movies generally could do with fewer scatological gags (the target audience for poo and pee humor needs no encouragement), writers Peter Gaulke and Jim Hecht managed to come up with a (relatively) sophisticated one.
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| 70 |
LA Weekly
The movie still retains the goofy charm, stylish visuals and attention to character of its fine 2002 predecessor. Queen Latifah is a warm and plummy new presence as a voluptuous lady mammoth whose only drawback is that she was raised by possums and thinks she's one herself.
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| 70 |
The Hollywood Reporter
Raucously fun, fluid follow-up with ecological message.
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| 63 |
Miami Herald
Features the lamest story of any CG-animated feature to date.
|
| 63 |
ReelViews
This is a lackluster film that exists exclusively because its predecessor made money.
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| 63 |
Premiere
Jessica Letkemann
The sweet, furry animals are witty and often funny, and while the physical comedy is simple, the main characters ultimately aren't.
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| 63 |
Chicago Sun-Times
The movie is nice to look at, the colors and details are elegant, the animals engaging, the action fast-moving, but I don't think older viewers will like it as much as the kids.
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| 60 |
Empire
It's charming enough.
|
| 60 |
Variety
A tad crasser and pushier than its predecessor, Ice Age: The Meltdown is still an entirely serviceable follow-up to the 2002 hit that will thoroughly amuse kids and get a rise or two out of parents as well.
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| 50 |
Film Threat
If you're over the age of 11, there's obviously not much reason to see this.
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| 50 |
The Onion (A.V. Club)
It's more like watching a typical animated-shorts collection - a few highlights, a lot of clinkers - than like watching an actual movie.
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| 50 |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Not as cool as the first.
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| 50 |
The New York Times
Jeannette Catsoulis
The animation is uninspired (with so much ice, the creatures need to be twice as good-looking), and the story is humdrum. (The saber-toothed tiger learns to swim!)
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| 50 |
Washington Post
The animation is first-rate...But the story needs to catch up to the magic. Otherwise, what's the point?
|
| 50 |
Wall Street Journal
The film is enjoyable enough, at least for young children.
|
| 50 |
Chicago Reader
Improved CGI renders the animals' bodies in greater detail, but the laughs aren't as sharp.
|
| 50 |
San Francisco Chronicle
Less a story than a series of complicated slapstick bits.
|
| 50 |
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Essentially a journey from point A to point B, a simple classic plotline on which to hang a collection of set pieces -- some delightful, some wacky, some tediously hackneyed.
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| 50 |
Boston Globe
Ice Age: The Meltdown is pure sequel product that should make children and undemanding grown-ups happy even as it lacks anything resembling storytelling inspiration.
|
| 40 |
Village Voice
Jim Ridley
A romantic subplot about a possum-raised mammoth (Queen Latifah!) tries to put the warm in global warming, but the unappealing character designs, incessant celebrity-voice chatter, and slickly inexpressive 3-D animation thwart any emotional pull.
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| 40 |
Austin Chronicle
Much of the original film's geniality – and all of its pro-environment stumping – has gone missing; what we have instead is a watered-down likeness that curiously turns disaster flick in its too-scary third act.
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