Movie Review - Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

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The confusingly titled Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is the third film in the series.  The last film was subtitled The Meltdown.  So theoretically it should no longer be an “ice age”, right?  And “dawn of the dinosaurs?”  I’m no paleontologist but didn’t the ice age kill the dinosaurs?  Shouldn’t they have been dead before the first film even began?  So why are they just now “dawning?”  If it’s truly the “ice age” then shouldn’t it be “Dusk of the Dinosaurs?”  I understand that the movie wasn’t exactly funded by The Discovery Channel, but these are the sorts of questions that will drift through your mind should you somehow manage to stay awake during the film. 

All of the major players return: Ray Romano as Manny, John Leguizamo as Sid, Denis Leary as Diego and Queen Latifah as Ellie.  However, so much of the spark is gone; perhaps a more fitting subtitle would have been “The Quest for Fire.”  Their line readings are drab and disinterested.  The bulk of Denis Leary’s delivery sounds as if his first time reading the dialogue was as he was recording it.  It’s common knowledge that actors working on animated films don’t record their dialogue at the same time.  They perform their roles separately (often times over the course of years) and only appear to interact via the magic of editing.  It’s not unusual for some actors to have never even met each other until the film’s premier.  But this is the first animated feature I can recall where you can actually tell that technique is being used.

The animation is passable.  It’s not as underwhelming as say, the recent Battle For Terra, but no significant advancements seem to have been made over the prior two films.  There is the addition of 3D (which was the version I saw) however nothing in the film really necessitates its usage.  I quite honestly question whether the film was even originally conceived as a 3D venture. 

Once again, saber tooth squirrel Scrat’s love/hate relationship with acorns is the film’s highlight.  But even his antics are starting to wear thin.  The movie’s major addition to an already overcrowded cast is Buck, a weasel on an Ahab-like quest to exact vengeance on a specific dinosaur.  Voiced by Simon Pegg, Buck brings some much need energy to the proceedings.  

The plot is minimal at best.  The gang discovers that, unbeknownst to them, a land of dinosaurs has been living beneath their world.  They venture into this world in an effort to save Sid, who is lost there.  They go; they find him; they come home.  The end.

Oh yeah, adventures are had, lessons are learned, the credits roll as the cast dances to a forgotten song from the ‘80s, etc., etc., etc.  The movie feels entirely hobbled together from the deleted scenes of previous (and superior) entries in the series.  I promise you, your kids can (and will) concoct a better story with the Ice Age toys in their Happy Meals.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the original Ice Age and 1 being Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs gets 4.

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