--- title: "Ice Age: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/ice-age/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/ice-age" critics_score: 61 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ice Age (2002): what the critics said Critics' score 61 from 11 reviews: 6 positive, 2 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics find Ice Age an entertaining animated comedy, with praise clustering around its humour, character relationships and physical set pieces. The warmer reviews appreciate the balance of sentiment and sardonic banter, alongside convincing voice performances and clearly defined personalities, particularly Manny. Scrat’s persistent pursuit of his acorn draws approval even from some detractors, making those sequences the clearest point of agreement across an otherwise divided set of reviews. The spread is wide: six reviews are positive, two mixed and three negative. Reservations centre on a familiar story, limited inventiveness and dialogue that some find witty but others find wearing. The animation also divides opinion, attracting praise for vivid detail and criticism for its cold, angular look. The Los Angeles Times finds the formula and glibness tiring despite the visual invention, while Eye for Film considers the recurring acorn gag funnier than anything in the main plot. ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 4/5. 22 March 2002. The review is strongly positive, calling the film a pacy, wild adventure that works beautifully. It singles out Scrat as a scene-stealer, while noting that occasional sentimentality does not spoil the film. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/ice-age-review/) ## Variety — Joe Leydon Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 15 March 2002. Leydon expects the film to appeal to audiences of all ages and praises its entertaining, funny story. He especially singles out the vivid computer animation and the convincing voice performances. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2002/film/awards/ice-age-1200550827/) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Freer finds the film likable and entertaining, despite its lesser inventiveness compared with Toy Story and Shrek. He singles out the sharply defined character relationships and especially the big-hearted, world-weary Manny for praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ice-age-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3/4. 15 March 2002. Ebert regards the film as an entertaining animated comedy. He singles out its humor and engaging characters as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ice-age-2002) ## The Guardian — Rob Mackie Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 18 October 2002. Mackie finds the film an engaging, warmly entertaining alternative in the cartoon wars. He praises its blend of sentiment and sardonic humor, especially the confidently staged set pieces and visual details. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/oct/18/artsfeatures.dvdreviews2) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 3.5/5. 23 November 2002. Gonzalez finds the film less evocative than a Pixar wonderland but ultimately hard to resist. He especially praises Scrat’s visually minimalist, persistent acorn chase as a scene-stealer. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/ice-age-dvd/) ## Screen Daily — John Hazelton Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2002. The accessible page identifies this as Screen’s review, but its verdict is hidden behind the paywall. No specific element praised or criticized is available in the visible text. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/ice-age/408590.article) ## Radio Times — Sloan Freer Rating 3/5. Freer finds the film witty but held back by a basic story with too little action and excitement. The banter between the lead characters is a strength, while the animation’s cold, angular style is hard to warm to. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-a4x0m0/ice-age/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 15 March 2002. Turan finds the film’s formulaic story and relentlessly glib dialogue tiring, despite its visual inventiveness. He especially praises Scrat’s slapstick antics and the film’s physical-adventure sequences. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-mar-15-et-kenny15-story.html) ## Time Out — WH Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). The review finds the film less inventive than Pixar’s work. It criticizes the animation’s lack of visual surprise and the characters’ uninflected anthropomorphism. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/ice-age) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 24 March 2002. The review finds the film’s script and adventure underwhelming. It praises the recurring acorn gag as funnier than anything in the main plot. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/ice-age-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/ice-age.md