Ice Age Review

The film borrows its structure and some ideas from the near classic Western, Three Godfathers.  It might add an extra level of interest for those familiar with that film.

 The voice work of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo (whose becoming as annoying as Gilbert Gottfried). and Denis Leary who does very little Leary schtick, is all quite good. Sometimes the music got on my nerves, though.

The animation look is different and simpler/ cheaper than Bug's Life, Toy Story and Monsters Inc.

For nearly an hour I was surprised with how much fun I was having watching the film with the kids. It was much better than I was expecting. However interesting variations, character development, and fresh jokes nearly stop dead in their tracks during two very long
'action' sequences in the film's last 25 minutes which involve lots of sliding. The first time I sat through this one, was painless, the second time I really thought they threw away the last 25 minutes of the movie.

As the Ice Age turns the earth into a big non-frost free freezer, Sid the sloth, Manny the Mammoth, Diego the saber toothed tiger and Scrat the acorn obsessed squirrell join forces to return a lost human child to its father. (You weren't expecting a historically accurate flick were you?)

I recently viewed the sequel  ICE AGE 2: THE MELTDOWN which I thought was slightly superior because the pace and humor remained consistent throughout the whole film.  There were not humans in it either.

Not quite a satisfying enough winner for adults but kids should love it.

4 stars for kids 12 and under... 3 stars for anyone above.