'Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs' review

Is a fresh plot really too much to ask for?

By Matt Pais

Posted June 30, 2009

Metromix

Hooray, another cross-country journey: After Sid the sloth (voiced by John Leguizamo) is carried off by dinosaurs, pals Manny the mammoth (Ray Romano), Diego the saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary) and others try to track him down. As usual, every few minutes the trek is interrupted by the nut-searching antics of prehistoric squirrel Scrat, who really belongs in his own short film, not as a constant distraction with no bearing on the movie.
 
The buzz: Ignoring issues of historical accuracy (hey, it's a kids' movie), the 3-D threequel "Dawn of the Dinosaurs" is more unwelcome because "Ice Age" never had any business as a franchise, with the average first movie giving way to the totally uninspired sequel, "The Meltdown." Maybe the addition of Simon Pegg (as rascally weasel Buck) will add a laugh or two.

The verdict: Where Pixar movies begin with a script, "Ice Age," which continues to aim toward a younger audience with a shorter attention span, clearly starts with merchandising ideas. In the decently animated "Dinosaurs," the characters only get more annoying and the jokes only get worse (Sample line: "Hasta la vista, birdie"), with the same themes of family and friendship repeated for the third time in a row. Unless you're young enough to still pronounce dinosaurs "Minothores," you're too old for this movie.
 
Did you know? As he anticipates the birth of his child with Ellie (Queen Latifah), Manny works to "baby-proof nature." Decide if that's more or less sensible than Sid's insight: "Experts say you should let your kids eat whatever they want."