THE FILM:

Your favorite heroes from the previous computer animated hits, Ice Age and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown are back.

The third installment of the Ice Age films, Ice Ace: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, finds wooly mammoths, Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah), embarking on their biggest adventure yet—preparing the world for the birth of a baby mammoth!  Their new family outlook leaves old pals Diego, a saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary), and Sid, a sloth (John Leguizamo), feeling all alone in the big, bad, frozen world.  Like always, Sid is fast to find trouble, this time in the way of three dinosaur eggs he discovers in an underground cave.  He takes the tots in as a family of his own.  Little does he know, the adorable baby t-rexes come with a mad momma who steals her three babies and their “mother,” Sid, taking them into a hidden, underground world!  Manny, Ellie, and Diego must team up to save the day!  Also along for the ride are Eddie and Crash (Josh Peck and Sean William Scott, respectively), Ellie’s possum brothers, and a new character, Buck (Simon Pegg), an Aussie that guides the gang through this mysterious world.  Meanwhile, Scrat, the luckless saber-toothed squirrel, and his foxy female friend are fighting over that same pesky acorn.

I thoroughly enjoyed both Ice Age and The Meltdown.  Dawn of the Dinosaurs is not as funny as its predecessors, though.  In fact, it is not super funny at all.  It had its moments.  That is about all I can say for it.

The Scrat/Scratte miniature story arch is easily my favorite thing about the movie.  Scrat is still your “every man,” goofy character.  Scratte is everything he is not:  smart and sizzling!  This story line is too cute and so enjoyable.

The theme of the third Ice Age was straightforward and simple:  true family may extend beyond blood and onto the people who are always around to support you.  It is the perfect message for a great family oriented film.  Although the characters are not your average herd of animals, their dysfunctional relationship is heart-warming and realistic.

THE BLU-RAY:

Audio/Video: The audio was great, especially for the score of the comedic crash and chase scenes.  I also appreciated it with the roar of the dinosaur!  The video was just average for me, nothing special to comment on.

Director’s Commentary: Boring…

Ice Age Story Book Maker: This interactive story book maker allows viewers to pick scenes from the film and tell a tale of their own.  Its only downside is the amount of effort it takes to play… not exactly what I want to spend all day doing, but I’m sure my favorite munchkins will be entertained.

Exploration Expedition: They could not resist adding some educational importance for kiddos.  An expert on animals of the Ice Age takes a look at the qualities of each character from a scientific stand-point.

Buck: From Weasel to Easel: This feature examines the new addition to the Ice Age cast, Buck, the weasel, with interviews from the voices of characters.

Unearthing the Lost World: How are dinosaurs roaming around in the Ice Age?  Find out how the people in charge made that connection, as well as all the new projects involved in making the jump from the land of the ice and snow to the steamy jungle.

Walk the Dinosaur: Music Video: Fun song!

Scrat Shorts: Since Scrat is my favorite character, I’m all about these mini stories starring Scrat.  Way to put a smile on my face!

Scrat Featurettes: There are 5 featurettes, and while the first two were, to me, boring beyond belief (a “how-to” draw the character and a little informative clip on the saber-toothed squirrel), the “Breaking News” report on the dangers of finding the flash-frozen Scat was indeed fun to watch.

Fox Movie Channel Specials: There are five Fox Movie Channel features on the Blu-Ray disc.  “Making A Scene” made me realize that computer animation is DIFFICULT. It’s not like this feature was super entertaining, but I now know I don’t have the patience or energy to be a computer cartoonist!  Also on the disc as a Fox Movie Channel Special are “Getting Into Character” with John Leguizamo, Ray Romano, and Queen Latifah.  I really enjoyed these.  All three actors have such great personalities which make for entertaining interviews.

The Film: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

If I had any kids, I would have taken them to a natural history museum over Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, for one simple reason: they would have had more fun. What reeks of an evil scheme to take more of your family’s dollar, there is little new or fresh in what was an average series anyway. But I suppose the kids have worn out the first two film’s DVDs, and in a market where constant attention is needed to survive, here’s another lame, limp, ho-hum sequel. Does your wallet hurt yet? “But my kids like them” says some family man/woman. “It’s good family entertainment.” So is playing a board game, and it’s cheaper.

Adding the typical elements to a third film, like a new kid, a wacky new character, and insert them into a simple story, nothing here that will amuse, and that’s the filmmakers fault, because it’s the only reason for this to exist. Silly Sid finds some eggs and decides to nurse them like a mommy, only to them hatch and presto! Sid has little T-Rexes to mother. Except the real mommy comes calling and sweeps Sid into a new world full of danger and dinosaurs. Luckily, for some reason, Sid has great friends, so the clan goes in search of him. While the 3-D adds a nice dimensionality to the rendered backdrops, creating depth, I don’t think it is imperative to have seen Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 3-D. Most parents who have no will power and who must take the kids to see this, be advised and save a few bucks by catching it in a normal theater. I’m warming up to the 3-D process, but nothing here amazes like other efforts we’ve seen.

In fact, nothing amazes at all here. The animation is nice, typical of Blue Sky, the studio doing these pictures, the jokes are standard issue, barely getting a few chuckles out of the sleepy audience, and the dinosaur elements feels tacky. And I love dinosaurs. What’s next for Ice Age 4? The gang in space? It’s a sequel for sequel’s sake, or also known as instant money maker. Kids don’t have the good common sense to differentiate from one Ice Age from the next, and they most likely have beaten up the other Ice Age DVD beyond playability, so here’s another generic tale for you to see (or just wait for the DVD). It’s so incredibly cookie-cutter this time around, that the jokes are as old as a dinosaur, the film plods along aimlessly, making no real fuss. I happened to look next to me, as a kid once so giddy about her dad taking her to a 3-D movie, that the film put her to sleep. What a waste of money. Just remember that I told you so. Don’t worry, there will be better and more worth while family films soon enough, so let this one melt.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D will release in theatres nationwide on July 1st.