Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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WEB EXTRA: Movie Review: “Ice Age 2: The Meltdown”

There is always that one person in the gang that becomes “the gooey stuff” that holds everyone together. In “Ice Age 2: The Meltdown,” that happens to be my favorite character, Sid, a lisping sloth voiced by John Leguizamo.

Brought to us by 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, the second installment of the animated feature is finally here. The cherry blossoms are blooming here in D.C. and the weather is getting warmer, but for our favorite “Ice Age” characters, the five-day forecast brought to us by Fast Tony (Jay Leno) is “intense flooding followed by the end of the world!”

Global warming is beginning on Earth, and that doesn’t sound too great for our pre-historic friends. Manny the woolly mammoth (Ray Romano), Diego the saber tooth tiger (Denis Leary) and Sid the sloth (Leguizamo) are back again to help save their clan from the flood. Within three days, their valley will be a mile underwater, displacing the animals and endangering their lives. After the initial panic (and a possible quick fix from Sid: “Maybe we can rapidly evolve into water creatures – call me squid!”) the entire clan rolls its eyes and then decides to challenge nature and make its own adventures to walk to higher ground.

This hilarious PG-rated animated feature has all of the right physical comedy moments for kids, as well as a few hidden innuendos and jokes for the adults. And of course, we can’t forget the love story between Manny, who believes he is the last mammoth on earth, and a female mammoth named Ellie (Queen Latifah) who strangely believes she is a possum.

Upon meeting Ellie for the first time and seeing her interact with her possum brothers Crash (Sean William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck), Sid whispers to Manny, “I don’t think her tree goes all the way to the top branch.”

This gang of animals, their charming personalities and the situations they get themselves into make you want to be 10 years old again. Along with the humor is, of course, an endearing life lesson (isn’t there always?) “Ice Age 2” tells us that “fear is natural,” and that you should always try to conquer your fears. Whether it is realizing that you are indeed not the possum you thought you were, or learning how to swim while the world around you in melting, you can always achieve any goal when your friends are there to help.

The graphics are impeccable and the great voices added to the overall excellence of this film. After all, everyone deserves to be a kid again, if only for a little while.

-“Ice Age 2: The Meltdown” is in theatres nationwide.

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