| Review: Ice Age 3 - Dawn of the Dinosaurs |
| Written by Colin Hart |
|
I was a worried man. I've seen how adding new characters can kill an established series (Scrappy-Doo anyone?) so when the opening sequence of Ice Age 3 rolled I was fearing disappointment of Jar Jar Binks proportions and the immediate introduction of Scratte, Scrat's love interest, did little to calm my nerves. That scene quickly over and we were into the movie proper and it opens with "the herd" from the first two films at the point of breaking up as life stage issues propel the characters in different directions. Pretty soon the antics of the ever hapless Sid catapult them into a new adventure in an underground land where the dinosaurs still roam but soon they are joined by another new character in the weaselly form of Buck, voiced by Brit Simon Pegg, as their psychologically disturbed subterranean guide to aid them on their rescue mission. Without giving too many spoilers what then follows is a typically Ice Age romp with some intimidating new enemies and surprising friends along the way and all of the caustic banter of the previous movies is still there with plenty of gags to suit both adults and children alike. The kids in the audience were constantly in stitches throughout the movie though at one point, when Scratte had Scrat repeatedly moving furniture round, there was one man in particular laughing like a drain. He obviously has some marital issues, poor bloke.In 3D the movie was superb with the effects varying between non-intrusive through to eye-poppingly good and there were only sporadic moments where it didn't quite work for me with reminders of those supposedly 3D postcards that I sometimes come across in touristy shops. On the whole though if you have the chance to watch it in 3D I'd recommend it as it enhances the film no end. For myself I can't pick a favourite character as they all had their moments but my daughter was a firm fan of Buck. Nice one Simon! If you haven't seen an Ice Age movie before this could be the one to get you introduced to the series but if you liked the first two then I'm pretty certain you're going to like this one as it's a worthy edition to the Ice Age family. Many thanks to Anna from Clarion Communications for getting us to the preview at Vue Leicester Square (@vuecinemas). |
| Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 June 2009 21:50 |
