Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)

Written by Paul Spragg Wednesday, 01 July 2009 18:09

Theatrical

Ice, ice baby...

With the imminent birth of a baby to mammoths Manny and Ellie, Diego the sabre-toothed tiger, starting to feel his age, decides to leave the mismatched herd. Meanwhile, Sid the sloth wants a family of his own so desperately that he elects to take care of some dinosaur eggs he finds underground. When they hatch, the little terrors cause mayhem, but not as much as when their mother comes looking for them, snatching Sid and sending Manny, Ellie and Diego, accompanied by possums Crash and Eddie, on a quest into a hidden underground world where dinosaurs reign supreme.

The third instalment of the Ice Age franchise is easy to get into, so familiar are we with the characters, and the addition of dinosaurs is a crowd-pleasing manoeuvre that kids will lap up. The returning voice cast (Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah) all slip effortlessly back into their roles and the animation is top-notch. So why does it all feel so hollow?

Perhaps it’s because there’s nothing new here; we’re past the point of being wowed by CG fur, however tricky it may be, and the writers seem to have run out of places for the Manny/Diego/Sid relationship to go. With Sid elsewhere for most of the film this doesn’t feel like as much of a buddy picture as the previous two. It also lacks some of the emotional beats that the first film in particular had, with everyone learning their perfunctory lessons (Manny to be more tolerant, Diego that there’s life in him yet, Sid that he already has a family) and going merrily on their way.

What it does do right is the pace, which with little character development to get in the way fair rockets along, and features plenty of set pieces including an obviously Star Wars-inspired pteranodon flight and a frantic fight against a cluster of vicious raptors. There’s an entertaining performance from Simon Pegg as Buck, a weasel who’s lost an eye fighting the largest of the dinosaurs, who leads Manny and co through the dangers of their new locale. The cuteness factor is present and correct in the shape of the baby dinos and the most adorable mammoth baby you’ll ever see, and the ever-reliable Scrat, the acorn-obsessed squirrel creature, provides many of the laughs as he fights to win both his elusive prize and the love of a flying female of his species.

It’s fun and you won’t feel cheated out of your money, but Ice Age 3 isn’t in the same league as the Toy Storys and Shreks of this world. Do try to see it in 3-D though, which is absolutely stunning and gives real depth and perspective to the gorgeously-rendered landscapes.

3 stars

Paul Spragg

Watch Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur Trailer