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Ice Age

Ice Age

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $14.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Mindlessly cute
Review: Ice Age is SO cute, but very much mindlessly so. ^_^;;; This worked for me, as the occasional mindless movie is good for staving off stress. The relationship of the Mammoth (Manny) and the Sloth (Sid) is nearly a direct rip from the medieval-set Shrek, but it isn't overdone to the point of annoyance. In fact, it's still quite funny. There is a scene that is very reminiscent of a key scene in The Lion King, and I kept expecting the kid to exclaim "Mike Wazowski!" as he toddled around. The graphics are good, the horribly cute bucktooth poster-chipmunk pops up where you least expect him, and there are many scenes that seem to come straight from another movie.

There were quite a few notably amusing scenes, such as the Star Trek-alluding UFO scene, and the evolution of the sloth. The voice acting was decent on all hands except the Mammoth, played by Ray Ramano. He does a decent job, but seems too detached from the character.

Overall a greatly amusing film that will lighten your spirits and make you laugh until your sides hurt. =)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ice Age Meltdown
Review: My husband and I went to this movie afraid that we'd be looked upon as crazy adults because we weren't packing any kids. But some of our favorite actors were lending their voices and acting talents to the endeavor and we couldn't miss it. What we didn't expect was a movie so engaging that it kept child and adult alike enthralled. Comedy, drama, the reality of life, and hope encircled the silly cast of mammoth, sloth, saber-tooth tiger, and an obsessive-compulsive saber-tooth squirrel. It was a great "get-away" movie, but it was mostly just a good movie. And it answers a couple of life's mysteries. I have to tell you, we laughed and cried -- be prepared. And not one kid in the theater was disruptive -- simply because all of them were too mesmerized by this wonderful movie. Don't expect Lucas Films or Disney perfection... just expect a great time.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A terrific combination of humor and storytelling.
Review: Computer animation once again proves its worth as entertainment in "Ice Age," the latest in a growing line of such films that include "Monsters, Inc." and "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius." Here, the majority of the characters are animals provided with a fully stocked arsenal of comic relief, while the animation itself, certainly first rate, is a wonder to the eyes, and in some places, to the mind as well.

As the Earth's temperatures in northern regions steadily decrease, herds are migrating south to avoid being trapped without food or shelter. Left behind by his family, Sid the Sloth (voiced by John Leguizamo), a slinky, cumbersome lad with beady eyes and a charming lisp, finds himself in more trouble after ruining a rhino's lunch. He finds rescue in Manfred the Mammoth ("Everybody Loves Raymond's" Ray Romano), a loner who, instead of heading south, is on his way north for solitude.

Meanwhile, a vengeful pack of sabertooths are planning their revenge on the human tribe responsible for the deaths of their kin. After storming the village in an attempt to make off with the chief's newborn child, it's mother races to the river, where she escapes with the baby with fatal results, leaving Manfred and tag-along Sid to fend for the child in their quest to return it to its father. Accompanying them is Diego the Sabertooth (Denis Leary), who offers to lead them to the passage into northern regions while secretly making other plans.

And there you have, the child-like formula for another refreshing family film that rides to success on some well-crafted moments and continuous humor. Movie-going audiences will surely recognize the film's opening sequence from the trailers, as a squirrel desperately searches the frozen landscape for a nesting place for his acorn, causing a chain reaction resulting in a terrific setup of flying ice, hearty laughs, and some well-intentioned action. This, along with the group's wild ride through an ice cave that becomes their personal slip 'n' slide, showcases some terrific animation as well as some good slapstick humor.

There are other, more impressive feats accomplished as well, such as some very realistic-looking effects, and moments of sorrow that may even make some adults misty-eyed. There is an scene early in the film, one that involves upward movement along a waterfall, that seems almost too real to be animation, while some scenes such as a rainstorm and those involving shots of snow-covered landscapes are painstaking in their detail. The story behind Manfred's loneliness may just be the saddest moment in an animated film since the death of Bambi's mother, and don't be too surprised if you find yourself shedding a small tear when the film reaches its final moments.

Equally astounding is the voice work done for the film. Romano, Leguizamo, and Leary fit in to their characters so well that it makes the ride much more inviting. The overall effect of the film is one of complete satisfaction, despite a few slow moments in the beginning. The concept and the execution are really nothing new, but "Ice Age" proves its insatiable worth as a terrific combination of humor and storytelling that provides fun for children and adults alike.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great movie for all!
Review: I took my 4 year old son to see this and, as expected, was very glad we went. Ice Age is extremely funny with humor for all. Ice Age ranks right up there with Shrek and Toy Story and will be one to buy on video. Its always amazing when a movie theatre filled with children can be so quiet. I think that is a true sign of a good movie!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: adults and kids alike, will enjoy it
Review: A very cute movie. The graphics are not as good as Monsters, Inc or Shrek but the movie itself was very funny. For children as well as adults. There are some jokes in the movie that are geared for adults, but nothing drastic-the kids couldn't even tell that it was for adults.

The kids laughed, the adults laughed. It was a cute movie and worth my money.

The movie itself is about a group of outcast charaters, come upon a child (something leads up to that but you'll have to watch it) and they want to take it back to his family. ...Do they make it to the family? And do all of them make it alive? This is a kids movie-I'm sure you'll know the ending even without me saying it.

But if you have kids and would like to catch a flick with them...Ice Age is the movie to do it with these days that is going to work both for the kids and for yourselves!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Scrat rules!
Review: The first three minutes of this film are worth the full price of admission. An homage to the late, great Chuck Jones, the little saber-toothed squirrel-rat, "Scrat" is by far the most lovable creature in the whole movie, if not one of the most amusing characters to grace a screen in many years.

The other characters and creatures are quite charming as well, the story is solid, and the one-liners and many modern-day references make it a great family film for all ages. There are some scary moments when a tiger pack attacks a human campsite, so it might be a bit much for the tiny tots, but kids ages 7 and up to adult will have a hoot!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great for big and small
Review: I just saw Ice Age with my 4 year old son and I must say that the movie is excellent--another jewel in the recent trend of animated features that satisfy the kid and the adult. It is a story about an unlikely "herd" of animals on a mission to save a human baby. A mamoth and a sloth are joined by a tiger with a hidden motive. Along the way, (as can be expected shrewn with difficulties) the three become friends and at the end, stand by each otehr to complete the mission.

My son enjoyed the animation and the "freindship" message in the movie. No doubt, adults will love the animation too. The grown-up jokes make the simple story enjoyable for them as well. But perhaps, the thing that will be most entertaining to all are the voice overs and the scrat "vignettes" throughout the movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ice Age
Review: I laughed more than I have in years. I also cried in parts. Definitely recommend to anyone!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Derivative, flawed... but still quite fun
Review: Imagine if someone described the plot of a movie, newly released, like this:

"A Roman General, framed for killing the Emperor, is sentenced to death. But he manages to flee. His family is murdered as retribution, and he ends up as a slave, sold into the gladiatorial battles. There, he ends up slaughtering the man who set him up, the new Emperor. Oh, and the gladiator can see dead people. And Bruce Willis is his shrink."

What would you think about that? Pretty derivative, no? Now listen to this plot of a newly released movie:

"A burly misanthropic giant meets up with a fuzzy motormouth outsider whom he can't stand. They embark on a quest of sorts, to reunite a baby with its family. On the way, they encounter a scoundrel who wants to steal the baby away for his own purposes. In the end, the misanthrope and the motormouth become true friends, the baby is returned home, and the scoundrel is thwarted. Oh, and it's all done with sophisticated computer graphics."

It's "Shrek". And "Monsters Inc.". And (if you haven't seen this coming by now, I suspect the rest of what you're about to read will make little sense) it's also "Ice Age". Given that it takes years for a CGI film to go from story to theatre, is it fair to judge this movie based on what came before it? Of course. As the old aphorism goes, "Timing is everything".

"Ice Age" does have some wonderfully original moments. An encounter with a flock of Dodo birds is at once ridiculous for it's slapstick physical comedy, and morbid because it's made quite plain that the Dodo is not long for this Earth. There's a moment when we learn the psychological history of one of the main characters, through plainly animated cave paintings, that's informative without beating the audience over the head. And, of course, there's the buck-toothed squirrel, ineffectually trying to hide away his acorn, to varying degrees of disastrous results. This last example offers quite the paradox: it is the comic relief in a movie that purports to be a comedy.

I say this because the rest of the movie is not really that funny. It's tense at times, and often dramatic, but rarely funny. That is, unless you've never heard a joke before. Then you might chuckle and guffaw at the newness of it all. But the cliched attempts at humour usually fell flat.

Which is odd when the three lead voice actors are such fine comedians in their own right. Ray Romano is miscast as a disagreeable wooly mammoth. His naturally deadpan Kermit-the-Frog voice is no match for Manfred's sorrow. Denis Leary, an acidic and vitriolic comic, would seem a perfect choice for a hungry saber-toothed tiger. But he's reigned in way too much, and is barely able to portray menace. And John Leguizamo, who I've always found has a tendency to try to do too much, tries to do too much. Saddling his Sid the sloth with an over-the-top lispy voice doesn't make his antics any funnier. In fact, it detracts from them. If Sid had been played straight, he might have been a riotous comic creation. As it is, I found him annoying. These three fairly weak characters are thrust into a stale (see above) story, and results are uninspiring.

To be fair, even though their personalities were lacking, the three characters, and the rest of the film's menagerie, are rendered wonderfully by the computer graphics. Going for less a realistic quality than a clean cartoonish feel, the physicality of the characters is wonderful. I was tickled at the way Sid could move, his head and neck acting almost as a fifth limb. The power and grace of the tigers and the mammoth were marvelous. Not to mention the liberties taken with animals we're well acquainted with: a pair of rhinos have ludicrously complicated, but aesthetically pleasing, horns.

The film's landscape is also quite breathtaking. It could have been easy, seeing as the background is mostly snow, to make it bland. But the mountain ranges appear regal and gargantuan, and the valleys have overpowering depth. And I was truly impressed with the way snow was used. It looked and acted like real snow would, malleable and tactile with a visceral coldness to it.

So for its brief moments of hilarity, and its stunning visuals, I can recommend "Ice Age" as a film worth seeing. Just don't expect anything epochal (pun intended).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A very funny movie!
Review: Summary:

Clever jokes, some slapstick, fairly well developed script, good animation, solid story development, and good music.

Review:

Ray Ramano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary create a good team together and a touching story.

Story:
In the beginning of the ice age, 3 unique animal adversaries are drawn together to bring a human baby back to migrating father. A depressed wooly mammoth (Manfred - Ray Ramano), a good natured, happy go-lucky, but less than intelligent sloth (Sid - John Leguizamo) and a mean saber-toothed tiger (Diego - Denis Leary) put up with each other during their journey Northward and the entire animal world goes south; with a squirrel unsuccessfully capturing his acorn.

Audience Reaction:

The entire audience seemed to liked / loved the movie. My daughter liked it so much that two other movie goers noted how much fun she had during the movie. (She often gets noticed because she is severely handicapped, but very charming).

Children:

Seems ok for young children as well. Not as scary as Jimmy Neutron (as a comparison). But, there are a couple of animal fighting scenes, and the final fight scene could be a bit much for sensitive children under 3 or 4 years old.


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