Ice Age 2 - The Meltdown (DVD)

Scrat may be the funniest character in Blue Sky Studios' Ice Age, but the adventures of Sid, Manny and Diego won the first film a lot of fans and, since their commitment bankrolled this sequel, they were clearly popular characters in their own right.

Unfortunately, much like the first film, their A-story is so uninspired and dull that it'll have a hard time keeping kids entertained and it'll have an even harder time keeping their parents awake. Like the original, this story hinges on getting its characters moving. There, they had to return a human baby to its tribe, and here they're on the road to avoid an incoming flood, but while the former could, at least, maintain that story to its conclusion, Ice Age 2 dips in and out of it. The gaps are filled with cheesy set-pieces and odd moments that are never suitably concluded.

And its to the detriment of the main story, for the diminished returns of constantly dropping back into the quest leaves its emotional conclusion desperately lacking. By the end of the rather modest 80-something minutes, we're just past caring, if we ever were to begin with. Once again, it's up to a rather sweet Scrat set-piece to lead us into the credits. Would Ice Age 2 have played better as a 20-minute Scrat-only short? Probably...

Nevertheless, it's still a better film than many of its ilk - particularly from studios Dreamworks. Even setting aside the rather overrated Shrek franchise, that Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary are here providing voice talent of itself guarantees a more entertaining ride than the celebrity-powered nonsense of the likes of Shark Tale and Madagascar.

i brought this as a present and its the perfect family film and i would recommend to all .its funny and you could watch it over and over .