Re-establishes that love is all you need…. Review on Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs Movie

We all need a purpose in life. Some of us need constant challenges. While for the rest of us just plain, innocent, sweet love will do.

In Ice Age 3 we meet our now familiar ‘herd’ on the threshold of a big change. Herd leaders, Manny and Ellie – the mammoth couple are about to have their baby. It almost seems like Manny the father is experiencing serious hormonal turmoil and he frets over the safe arrival of his baby. In his anguish, he snaps at his two best friends – Sid the Sloth and Diego the saber toothed tiger – who are in turn undergoing their own personal turmoil. Sid desperately wants to be loved and is consumed by the feeling of motherhood. He yearns to have babies of his own. Diego is beginning to wonder if he is slowing down and ageing too fast by staying with this ‘herd’...

The stage is thus set for breathtaking action. Ah yes…the third version of Ice Age seems to have much more action and much less of the typical slapstick comedy that we got treated to in the previous two versions of the movie. The special effects are a notch above the first two versions and the sets are breathtaking to say the least. Art directors seem to have thoroughly enjoyed working on something other than ice, ice and you guessed it…ice! They’ve gone overboard in creating a magnificent mysterious, underground landscape where the dinosaurs seem to have thrived.

The opening sequence of Scrat the squirrel hunting for his elusive acron is as entertaining as ever. And the aside of his new love is rather amusing. In this special effects filled 3D flick, however, the familiar, loveable characters, seem to have lost their steam. They sound a tad bored and tired. Manny and Ellie do not have the energy levels they had in the previous version. Deigo sounds as weary as he feels and Sid’s puppy dog smile – gets a little too familiar. It is the new entrant in this movie – who steals the show! The eccentric Buck the Weasel adds life, drama, humor, action and character to the film. As you watch him taking on gigantic dinosaurs, you realize that size does not matter at all. If you’re smart you can survive anywhere. Buck ensures that you go back feeling you got fantastic value for your money. Plus of course the dinosaurs have you holding your breath all the time!

The story goes something like this Sid is bursting with maternal instincts and unwittingly robs three dinosaur eggs that he thinks have been abandoned. The eggs hatch and the three dinos cause plenty of havoc until their T-Rex mother comes looking for them. The mother wrenches away her three babies and the over protective Sid along.

The petrified herd of Manny, Ellie, Deigo and the Possom twins go looking for Sid - and tumble into the dangerous, underground world of the dinosaurs. We experience the awe along with these characters as they explore strange new truths about the place. Like Manny, we too feel tiny and humbled. What a world it must have been! Along with characters we battle exploding volcanoes, gushing larva, giant carnivorous flora, ferocious pre-historic birds, laughing gas…and the omnipresent Rudy the giant dinosaur. The herd is superbly assisted by wily knife-weilding Buck the weasel. Deigo finds his soulmate in this weasel and learns that he must not wait for new challenges but rather find new ones around himself.

Sid in the meanwhile insists on sticking to his ‘babies’. His attempts to convert them into vegetarians are cute and rather hilarious. His floppy, slobbering ways even win over the fierce T-Rex mother. Making you sigh and say ‘ah yes, love is all you need’. Amidst all this spectacular drama of saving Sid, Ellie delivers her little Mammoth girl. Eventually, all’s well and the herd heads back to their world.

Scat the squirrel finds his love – but then cannot let go of his first obsessive love - the acorn. Will he be able to manage this duel love in his life? Only time or perhaps the next sequel – will tell. (??).

At just 95 minutes, the movie is crisp and fast paced. The larva gushing out at you makes you grab those 3 D glasses time and again in horror! Kids found the dinosaur sequences a bit scary at times – but then not too much to have them screaming for their mommies.

I would rate the movie really high for special effects. The messages of love, finding your personal challenges and staying by your friends at all times – come out loud and clear. But Manny and Ellie do sound tired. Perhaps they need a break from the Ice Age! For me the real hero of the movie is Simon Pegg – the bubbling voice behind Buck the weasel.

Once again it’s not a movie to watch with an adult mindset. The story is simple, there's plenty of laughs, the action and setting are amazing. So sit back, wear those 3D glasses. And enjoy!