Latest ‘Ice Age’ has a cool human touch
By: Leslie Katz
Examiner Staff Writer
July 1, 2009
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| On the road again: Ellie, Crash, Manny, Buck, Eddie and Diego consider navigating a dificult pass in “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.” (Courtesy) |
The new “Ice Age” is the best yet.
“Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” the third in a series following the eye-popping animated adventures of the woolly mammoth Manny and his pack of pals, has fun, action, laughs and an endearing story that will amuse little ones and, for the most part, keep their parents’ attention, too.
The appealing voice cast is back: Ray Romano as Manny; Queen Latifah as his pregnant mate Ellie; John Leguizamo as Sid the sloth; Denis Leary as Diego the saber-toothed tiger; and, new to this film, Simon Pegg as Buck the weasel.
This time around, the animals’ story is a particularly human, universal one, as Diego and Sid face the reality of feeling left out, with the impending arrival of the mammoths’ baby.
Sid takes things to extremes. He finds three unattended eggs, cares for them and proclaims himself “mom” when the dinosaurs hatch.
When their real mother shows up and forcefully takes them away, Sid follows them to the dinosaur underworld.
It’s up to Manny, Ellie, Diego and company (including possums Crash and Eddie, who have the best jokes) to save them, with the help of one-eyed Buck, their guide through the strange, frightening new place.
Their journey is punctuated with the ongoing saga of Scrat, the squirrel obsessed with capturing an elusive acorn. He meets his match when he encounters the female Scratte and enters into a love-hate relationship with her. Their antics, reminiscent of the best of Looney Tunes, begin to wear, though, as the film progresses; one or two segments with the critters would be plenty.
At 94 minutes, the movie is a bit long, with several seemingly good, obvious ending points coming up before the hour-and-a-half mark.
Still, the rampant anthropomorphism is delightful, the 3-D scenery is breathtaking, environmental “messages” are subtle and the nods to Lou Rawls and Gilbert O’Sullivan cannot be beat.
lkatz@sfexaminer.com
MOVIE REVIEW
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Three stars
Starring Voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Simon Pegg
Written by Michael Berg, Peter Ackerman
Directed by Carlos Saldanha
Rated PG
Running time 1 hour 34 minutes
