It's about a trio of mismatched creatures--gruff-but-loveable woolly mammoth (voiced by Romano), cheeky sloth (Leguizamo), sneaky sabre-tooth tiger (Leary)--forced to work together to reunite a lost human infant with its family while a new ice age closes in around them. Wacky adventures ensue, along with a sinister subplot involving the tiger's pals. All the while a tiny prehistoric squirrel-rat (called, naturally, "Scrat") tries valiantly to bury its precious acorn.

The inventive look of the film and a sporadic stream of funny gags keep us watching, even if the characters and plot aren't exactly ground-breaking. We know from the beginning exactly what will happen, how the characters will all get along, even what twists are coming, right up to the syrupy finale. This lack of imagination means the overall film feels familiar and more than a bit dull.

But never mind ... it looks amazing! Action sequences take our breath away. And there's real wit in the design--although for a sloth, Sid is far too zippy and energetic (jokes about his laziness aside, he never moves remotely like a real sloth); while the tigers are rather too reminiscent of the villains in The Lion King. The star of the show, easily, is Scrat--a brilliantly designed little creature who's consistently hilarious, full of personality and never overstays his welcome. He makes the whole film worth seeing, and you get the idea the filmmakers knew that all along.

some suspense

19.Feb.02