Seems like we're getting back on an even keel with the rating viewings now. Quite liking the new pag...
Seems like we're getting back on an even keel with the rating viewings now. Quite liking the new pages in a way. Thanks for all your rates.
Member since:07.11.2005
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This is a film only review as the film is currently only just out at the cinema. Ice Age 3 : Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a funny third film featuring our prehistoric creatures, and doesn't fail to hit the target just as well as the previous 2 films in the series did. I took my 5 year old son and his school friend to watch it at our local cinema this afternoon, and the three of us thoroughly enjoyed it.
The tale picks up where the last film left off, with the mix n match herd of a couple of mammoths, a sabre tooth tiger, a sloth and a pair of dippy possums. Manni and Ellie are the two mammoths expecting their first little baby mammoth, with Sid the sloth being a bumbling idiot as he always has been, jealous at the love and family the mammoths are experiencing. Meanwhile, Diego the sabre tooth tiger is feeling his age, and feels a bit withdrawn from his motley family.
When Sid falls through the ice and comes across the huge eggs, his maternal (!!) instincts kick in and he take them back. Despite Manni's warnings, he keeps hold of them, until their real mum turns up, a dinosaur.
Uh-oh!!!
Essentially, the plot is quite mediochre and presdictable, although this element of the film isn't the main focus. It's more the comedy elements and the way the characters mix and mingle with each other and any newcomers that may show up that are the real key parts of the film. The plot itself does take our heroes to an underground world where dinosaurs seem to have been living all this time, but this merely sets the stage for some cool action and a whole pile of snappy one liners.
Usually in these films, it's Sid who gets the main focus, but when things turn into a bit of a rescue mission with him the one in need of rescuing, the focus gives us a chance to examine the other characters a bit more. Diego in particular has gone from being the fierce predator stalking them to one of their friends, and now a weaker member of the herd through being 'out of touch' with everything a sabretooth is supposed to see, and although I am in danger of being a bit too analytical of a cartoon character, an element of this is about his self-discovery.
Similarly, the mammoths are expecting a baby, and this, too, sends out a moral message on what to do and what not to do. It also, however, includes umpteen stereotypical scenarios associated with anxious expectant fathers and relaxed pregnant mothers. Eyes are rolled on a number of occasions. The emergence of a few new characters is very welcome, particularly with some dinos being included. The animation with them is particularly well done. You expect it of the main characters as they are more established, and the artists have had chance to practise their skills at drawing Sid being a bumbling idiot, Diego the vicious sabretooth, etc.
Another new character and a very clever one indeed is Buck the weasel, an adventurer who has found himself living with the dinosaurs, tracking a mysterious beast he has named Rudy, who is apparently the most ferocious and dangerous in the dinosaur world. His character provides a lot of the humour in the film, and while I found it hilarious, there is an awful lot here that is going to fly completely over the kids' heads. In a way this is a negative aspect, as it means that the kids are just finding it a bit weird, especially with the suggested humour, but on the other hand, it also provides a bit of interest for the older viewers, meaning that it attracts a wider audience. While the previous two films did this, they probably didn't do it quite as much, and I'm unsure as to whether this is a good or bad thing. Either way, the result was me laughing my socks off a couple of times when the kids were looking at me as if I was the weird dad in the room!
Of course, the prehistoric squirrel Scrat is back, and this time there is a female squirrel to rival his affections. Torn between his love for an acorn that he has tried and tried to catch since the beginning of the first film and the chemistry between him and the female squirrel, this is again a fun subplot that has nothing to with the main plot going on. It is completely light hearted and well placed in this film.
In terms of voices being lent to the characters, we see the return of Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo and Queen Latifah, amongst others, for some of the main characters. Simon Pegg also jumps in for this one, and while nothing particularly stands out, this is perhaps indicative of the fact that all do their job very well. It would have been a shame to have noticed one voice more than the others - this way the quality is high and consistently so.
Overall, it was a really fun film to watch. We have the first two on DVD, and will no doubt get a copy of this at some point once it has been released to buy. My son loved it, as did his friend, and while there are some scaryish moments with the dinosaurs, these are toned down by immediate comedy, and so there isn't really anything to worry about. Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is currently showing in cinemas, and is well worth taking your kids to see for a Summer Holiday treat.
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Took my niece to see this on Saturday - both enjoyed it. Great review!
arnoldhenryrufus 30.07.2009 01:44
My grand-daughter went to see this and loved it - lyn x
MikeOCarroll 29.07.2009 15:02
I saw the first in the series and would be interested to see this, especially after reading your review. A good review it is too - but could do with a spellcheck to remove a couple of typos. All the best, Mike.
Jul 29th, 2009
very helpful by (100%):
