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Wednesday
01Jul2009

Movie Review - 'Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs'

DateWednesday, July 1, 2009 at 1:07AM
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Starring Ray Romano, Denis Leary, and John Leguizamo
Directed by Carlos Saldanha
Rated PG

iceage3poster.jpg The first two Ice Age movies were modest distractions not intended to be viewed more seriously, the way Pixar films are now revered. But there’s certainly a place at the movies for a series like this, one with goofy jokes aimed primarily at kids that isn’t bucking for awards and respect.

The third Ice Age, subtitled Dawn of the Dinosaurs, is perfectly acceptable, too, in a series that doesn't have a lot of highs or lows. It moves pleasantly along, doesn’t make anyone think too hard, and looks good, even in 3-D. For 90 minutes, it gets your kids out of the heat.

There are a few good moments, and it never gets so dreary that there the natives will get restless. The regulars are back, including Ray Romano as Manny the mammoth, John Leguizamo is Sid the sloth, Denis Leary as Diego the sabertooth tiger, and Queen Latifah as Manny’s life partner, Ellie.

A new addition is the best feature of the movie, though: Simon Pegg from Shaun of the Dead and Star Trek as a swashbuckling weasel named Buck, who helps the ragtag pack of animals save Sid and three baby dinosaurs from the fiercest dino of them all.

Dawn of the Dinosaurs definitely struggles more in the first 30 minutes, taking its sweet time to find its way. It feels almost like a collection of spare parts that weren’t compelling enough to fill an entire movie until the prehistoric pals run into Buck. Maybe they're castoff ideas from the two prior films or maybe they were initial ideas for this movie that just don't have enough life to them. Either way, the film isn't very sharp in the beginning.

Once Buck is introduced, though, there’s more action, comedy, and a better reason for the 3-D, so the last hour has a brisker pace and becomes more involving.

Buck, Manny, Diego, and Ellie have to find Sid, who has been taken below the frozen above ground tundra to an temperate underworld teeming with vegetation and diverse animal life. So that's how they explain the existence of dinosaurs during an Ice Age. You don't turn to these movies for science, do you? For that matter, do you turn to movies in general for your science? If so, might I suggest...science.

There are better animated films this year, but it has been a great year on that front. Ice Age isn’t as ambitious as Up or as funny and daring as Monsters vs. Aliens, but it’s comparable to the rest of the series.

AuthorColin Boyd | | in , , , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment2 Comments |

Reader Comments (2)

Ice age 3 Reveiw

Yesterday I saw Ice age 3 and I thought it was the best Ice Age yet ! It hit all the right spots in Comedy ,Action and Heat which was a good blend .


5 more Please !

Friday, July 17, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterHp 6 fan

My kids and I really liked this movie. It was a good addition to the other 2 movies.

Monday, July 27, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterMatt Gorden

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