Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Review

‘Dawn of the Dinosaurs’ is Fun for Fans of its Predecessors

-----‘Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs’ has Manny and Ellie the mammoths set to have their first child. Meanwhile, saber-toothed tiger Diego experiences a midlife crisis, and Sid the sloth decides he should have kids of his own. That’s when Sid stumbles into some dinosaur eggs. These aren’t just any old dinosaur eggs however; these eggs are T-Rex eggs from underground. And when Mama Rex comes looking for them, Sid gets eaten and dies. Not really, but he does get taken underground, leaving his friends Manny, Ellie, and Diego to come find him.

-----Ray Romano returns as levelheaded mammoth Manny. Turning in another performance as a character that fits him perfectly, he plays well off of Queen Latifah, who voices the now-pregnant mammoth, Ellie. She is also well cast in her role, returning for her second turn as Ellie. Denis Leary is spot on as usual as Diego the saber-tooth tiger, in yet another perfectly cast role that has become the cornerstone for the franchise. With their respective characters being matched perfectly around each voice actor, they are able to find an awesome chemistry with each other, and keep the film afloat in many areas. Also returning for second helpings are Josh Peck and Sean William Scott in funny and surprisingly unrecognizable voiceover roles as the possum brothers Eddie and Crash. Returning for the third time is John Leguizamo as the always hilarious Sid. With riotous voice work as Sid the sloth, Leguizamo has crafted one of modern animations funniest and most recognizable characters in Sid. His slurred and silly voice alone provides a number of laughs, as he consistently steals scenes with his performance. It is a shame however, that in the latest ‘Ice Age’ entry, he has a bit less screen time than I would have desired, seeing as he is the funniest character in the franchise. British actor Simon Pegg makes his first appearance in the trilogy providing a fun voice to the outlandish weasel, Buck. Once again the creators have stuck to the strength of modeling characters after their voice actors, and while I couldn’t place him during the film, there are definitely similarities in comedic style between Pegg and his character. He fits well into the film, providing another valuable member to the ‘Ice Age’ collection of characters.

-----With ‘Dawn of the Dinosaurs,’ the ‘Ice Age’ franchise takes a step in the wrong direction. It’s still fun, but unfortunately it is somewhat of a rehash of the first two films. The characters were constantly changing in the first two films as they journeyed, but here they’re set in their ways for the most part, with a little, but agreeably less development in what is somewhat of an epilogue to the series. It’s also not quite as funny as its predecessors, and even watered down a bit for younger audiences. However, there are still a few key jokes for older audiences that will soar over children’s heads, and keep the mature viewer engaged. Even some of the kiddy, overused physical humor, including gags like helium-intoxicated voices are surprisingly fun for the viewer willing to play along. As I said before however, while there are some very worthy laughs, there isn’t quite as many as in the first two films. The plot is also less ambitious and original, often times sticking to clichés with the story of pregnancy, a story that we’ve all heard fifty times before. In fact, when the opening scene was supposedly Ellie going into labor, my mind instantly flashed back to the dreadful third entry into the otherwise fun ‘Santa Clause’ franchise, which opened with the exact same scene.

-----Another disappointment that comes with ‘Dawn of the Dinosaurs’ is trademark character Scrat, a squirrel obsessed with acorns. In this film, he meets Scratté, a female squirrel who makes Scrat choose between his love for acorns and his love for her. His consistently funny attempts to catch a hold of his acorn finally start to wear thin in the latest entry. The clever advertisements starring the recognizable character backfire a bit as the teaser trailer we’ve all seen numerous times is replayed frame by frame to start the film and it becomes somewhat tiresome. In reality, the infamous x-factor of ‘Ice Age’ that is Scrat has unfortunately become somewhat of a tedious gimmick.

-----Technically the animation is strong as always. Unfortunately however, the environment our protagonists find themselves in is much less original and intriguing than the previous two films’ settings. With the first film being a full on ice age, and the second being a blend of ice and tropical, the third entry takes place primarily in a rainforest atmosphere that doesn’t provide the eye candy the first two did. The musical score is a fun blend of tunes from the first, and mostly the second, films. The cinematography is also clever as was the case with the first two movies, and the animators do a great job of simulating a camera’s movements, providing the occasional excellently executed complex shot. Of course the thing that stands out most however, is the brilliant voice work behind the animation.

-----Ultimately, fans of the first two films will be moderately but assuredly satisfied with ‘Dawn of the Dinosaurs.’ It’s a series undoubtedly out of its prime, but the newest entry certainly doesn’t taint the franchise either. What you get instead is a fun movie with a good number of laughs that will be enjoyed by children and fans of the first two. If you didn’t like the first two outings however, then there’s no reason to expect anything radically different or superior from this one. Simon Pegg provides a new quality character to the mix, and manages to sweeten the pot a bit, even if the story and laughs are a step down from the first two films. It’s not a great movie though, and other than children, most audiences won’t feel compelled to see it again. The good new is though, while I only give it a Rent-It rating, if your kid is in love with it, a second viewing won’t be painful by any means. The bottom line is I could and may see it again, especially if prodded by family members or friends in the upcoming few weeks; but for now, I’m satisfied with a single viewing, and the majority of audiences will also be happy with one screening. And in accordance, I was taken aback at how surprisingly funny the first two films were when I watched them again in preparation for ‘Dawn of the Dinosaurs’ (it having been a few years since I’d last seen them), so this ‘Ice Age,’ though a lesser one, may well earn a purchase a few years down the road to round out the trilogy.

Official Trailer