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Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - Movie Review
By Purple - December 28, 2009
By Purple
As the third installment in the series, "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" may seem long in the tooth at times, but it knows what it is and excels at it, and the movie is a reliable choice for some silly family entertainment on a hot summer day.
"Ice Age 3" is at its best when Blue Sky Studios continues to carry on the traditions of Looney Toons into the computer age, picking up where Wile Coyote and the Road Runner left off, with the desperate Scrat, the squirrel-like creature and his never ending pursuit of happiness for the almighty nut that is perpetually just out of reach. This time around the Scrat's universe expands after he rubs noses with the girl squirrel of his dreams, and like a Chuck Jones classic, much silliness ensues as he tries to have it all.
There are times however when the third "Ice Age" movie seems like the franchise may have run its course like watching the Wooly Mammoths voiced by Queen Latifah and Ray Romano, try to pull expectant parent plotline along. And while it makes sense to try and connect with the parents who will take their minivans full of kids through the drive-through windows to pick up the "Ice Age" toys inside the happy meals, the family centric gushiness of it all gets a bit too sweet at times and you end up feeling like Denis Leary's sour saber-toothed tiger character Diego and agree that it might be time to hit the road.
Thankfully, the rest of the movie offers a 'Raiders of the Lost Weasel' story thread to follow when we're introduced to Simon Pegg as the voice of Buck, an erratic and insane, adventure critter that helps the "Ice Age" gang through their dinosaur encounters. While slightly annoying at first, Buck's arrival turns out to be just strange enough to keep the mammals and the story moving along.
This third "Ice Age" movie is the first in the series to be developed with the latest 3D technology in mind. There are scenes where the artists at Blue Sky really take advantage of the dimensionality and place the action into the 3D space. Like when the Scrat lands himself in some floating tar bubbles, the slapstick punch lines pop inside the theater. It's a cool effect and worth seeking out a theater showing the 3D version for sure.
"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" may not have a lot of ground breaking material, but it has enough gut splitting funny bits to make it a worthwhile Saturday matinee. Here's hoping that Blue Sky continues to render more 3D slapstick inspired by the golden age of cartoons, for Movie Magazine this is Purple.
© 2009 - Purple - Air Date: 07/08/09
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"Movie Magazine International" is a weekly, nationally-syndicated radio program which features movie reviews, film festival reports, star tributes, weekly trivia contests, ticket giveaways, and interviews with directors and actors from yesterday and today. This blog contains all of our articles since July 2009. Please visit our main website to read our older reviews, learn more about the radio show, or view our interview schedule.
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