There’s no doubt that “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,†is a fun animated film and one that both kids and adults will enjoy, but the question remains as to if it was truly needed.
The first film has a great stand alone ability, as it gives the viewer closure and features the type of comedy that is engaging for both children and older viewers. The same thing goes for the second installment, which adds a few more characters, but is still endearing and charming and is a worthy sequel that builds off the relationship forged in the original.
Again, while the same thing goes for the third piece in the series, as Simon Pegg [Dawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz] is absolutely hilarious as the voice of Buck, the newest furry friend to join the herd, you wonder how long the series can continue to be this solid without “jumping the shark.â€
After watching the film, you realize that again, the plot has been put together well and with the voice talents of Ray Romano, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah and John Leguizamo, it’s worth the money and time to see it, especially if you are a fan of the series. The laughs still maintain the type of karmic balance that older viewers will find funny, but there seem to be slightly more geared towards the kiddies this time around. Nevertheless, the movie hasn’t resorted to a Madagascar-esque blend of comedy, giving it more of an edge against the rest of the flicks scheduled to hit reels this summer.
One of the ways “Ice Age†manages to get a majority of its laughs ironically is by channeling several other films, such as “Star Wars,†“Pirates of the Caribbean†and “E.T.,†a-la the “Shrek†series. These are the types of things that many of the kiddies won’t find humorous, but when it’s all said and done, they make for some of the funniest moments of the film.
Because of that, one can look at the newest installment of the series in two ways. One would be that it’s stretching its appeal and emulating other animated films and ultimately doing things better than they do. The other opinion could be that the series is slowly beginning to lose track of what made it so successful in the first place and this film could be the last one that truly captures the essence of the series, giving it little room to go up from now on, but plenty of room to decline.
These opinions, however, fail to address the fact that “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs†works and does so due to a multitude of reasons, including a funny script, great animation, a fun soundtrack and excellent voice acting.
While the series may start to run its course and very soon at that, those looking for huge problems in this installment will have a hard time finding any that take away from their cinema experience.
I was actually expecting this movie to be really bad (which I thought it was) and I really don’t think it was needed at all. In fact, ending at the first movie would have been great, but it’s becoming almost like Shrek, where the entire story is stretched into almost a drama series about the life stories and issues a couple is going through constantly.
Although I read the entire article, I didn’t find where the answer to “whether this movie was really needed”, or is it supposed to be indirect and for the reader to decide?
You also said that the movie is slightly geared towards children, which I think it is, but afterwards, you also said that many of the jokes and humor would mainly be understood by older viewers. Would it still be considered a good movie for kids? Just wondering.
I would think children wouldn’t find this amusing. Plus, I saw the movie myself and really didn’t like it. I usually laugh at everything, both the first and second Ice Age, I laughed hysterically but this one was actually just what I expected to be – not very funny.
But yes, the series is slowly losing track of what made it good in the first place, I would make a hypothesis stating that if they came out with Ice Age 4, that it would end up like Little Mermaid 2, where the story doesn’t even focus on the previous main characters anymore.
A good article, addressing the fact that Ice Age 3 is an entertaining movie for all ages, but unsure whether the film is going up in ratings or just dropping since it might’ve lost track of what made it successful.