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89 out of 120 people found the following review useful: Stays true to the franchise, 22 June 2009 Author: tommy_tumnus
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I saw this film in an advanced screening on Father's Day.I was really impressed by the film. A problem that many sequels run into is that they rely too heavily on the name of the franchise and hope it will blind the audience into liking a mediocre film. This film didn't have that. It truly stayed true to the characters and themes we have grown to love in the Ice Age franchise.In this instalment, Manny and Ellie's child is on the way. Manny has a tough time and is nervous about becoming a father. Ellie, on the other hand, is very excited and feels ready.Diego worries he is going 'soft', and struggles with his desire to be a strong, intimidating tiger once again.Upon being around so much 'baby excitement', Sid feels like he wants some kids. His wish is granted when he stumbles upon three eggs, which hatch and are revealed to be dinosaur eggs. Thus, our adventure begins.Needless to say, most of the key characters have inner struggles that they are dealing with. The film also introduces a new character, a crazy cool weasel named Buck. After the film, my boyfriend told me Buck reminded him of Jack Sparrow from the acclaimed 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise. I see the resemblance, as Buck is a little on the wild side and has a hunger for adventure.The animation was beautiful. With each film in the series, the animation gets better. The scenery and colors were great, and the characters were well done as well.A lot of people seem to have an issue with the dinosaurs. They claim it isn't realistic. My only argument against that is, "Do you think the first two were all that realistic?" if you see this film, you just need to let your imagination stretch a bit. Accept that there are dinosaurs in it, and you'll love it. Don't get hung up on the fact that dinosaurs were long gone before the Ice Age.The film moves at a fast pace and has many laughs along the way. It's a great adventure and I really think it will be popular when it hits theaters. The script was pretty good, the soundtrack was excellent, and I really can't pin point anything that is extremely wrong with this movie. It stands well on its own, so newcomers will be able to enjoy it easily, all while keeping the same spirit of the first two, which is sure to please fans from day one.9/10
70 out of 106 people found the following review useful: Ice Age 3 delivers the goods, and appeals to grown-ups and kids alike, 28 June 2009 Author: Sa'ar Vardi (saarvardi@walla.co.il) from Kfar Saba, Israel
My wife and I attended an early press screening for the third Ice Age installment two weeks ago and had a wonderful time. The film easily tops the second outing of the series, and is right on par with the first - with just the right mixture of new characters and settings vs. the older ones we've all grown to love (especially Scrat. I can watch a whole movie with this guy).This time around, Manny and Ellie are expecting a baby mammoth, something that leads to unexpected responds from Diego and Sid. When Sid decides to become a parent himself in return, he steals three giant eggs he accidentally bumps into, only to later realize they're dinosaur eggs that belong to a pretty angry mother. When mother-dinosaur kidnaps Sid, it's up to Manny and friends to return him home safely. Adventures ensue as they find out that underneath their icy world lives a land filled with enormous and sometimes menacing dinosaurs, one which our friends would need to cross in order to rescue Sid.Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is cute but not insulting, the visuals are stunning and if you forgive the obvious historical loophole (there were no dinosaurs during the Ice Age) you can actually have quite a good time. The dinosaurs add a lot to the plot, and there's actually a very cool, nice sense of adventure throughout the film, one that was somewhat missing (in my opinion) from the previous installment. All this adds to a fun and thrilling experience - alongside the visuals, jokes and general good atmosphere.To sum things up - Ice Age 3 is an above average animated film, that'll appeal to grown-ups and kids alike. I gave it 9 out of 10.
65 out of 97 people found the following review useful: Cool as Ice...................again, 27 June 2009 Author: simonwest80 from United Kingdom
OK big plus here - this film is better than the 2nd which i didn't particularly like and if you can go and see it in 3D (For the people who criticise this "gimmick" go and try it 1st rather than base your opinion on other "critics" opinions) do so as it is excellent and really beats the years earlier examples of 3D films (although i didn't see Coraline at the cinema so cant comment on a comparison).The person who didn't laugh - go on ebay and find a sense of humor - the whole cinema was laughing through out the film and i really enjoyed the jokes - yes you saw most of them coming but hey its a kids cartoon.The story is easy to follow and again those people moaning its not real jeez ITS A KIDS CARTOON - when do they need to make sense or be realistic..............???Every kid i have spoken to loves it.It does have one problem that it is pretty much instantly forgettable along with most the other sequels out at the moment but for the 1hr30mins it was all good fun and a nice way to spend a sat/Friday evening with the Mrs and kids. Not gonna win any Oscars for originality but could take the gong for best CGI very very good job if you also consider the back drop and how well it works in 3D.Ah and how can i forget Scrat - in typical Mr Bean style he returns and does not disappoint, come on guys give the mouse/rat thing his own movie!
54 out of 77 people found the following review useful: A Joyous Delight, 1 July 2009 Author: RichardSRussell-1 from United States
I haven't had so many laff-out-loud moments in a movie for a long time. There's about an even mix of verbal and visual gags in this 3rd installment of the Ice Age family saga, they're all fresh instead of hackneyed, and they all work. You wouldn't think a film set in the age of mammoths would be able to run a parody of the old "red wire vs. blue wire" time-bomb scenario, but they find an ingenious way to do it.Now those among you who haven't fallen prey to creationism are well aware that mammoths are very large mammals (and hence quite recent in geological time), while the last of the dinosaurs went extinct 65,000,000 years ago. So how does the plot explain their coexistence? Well, it seems that there's this entire hidden tropical world underneath the eponymous ice, and our heroes literally fall into it. (Don't overthink it.)Suddenly Manny the mammoth and his pregnant mate Ellie discover that they're not only not the largest creatures on Earth, as they'd thot, but actually pretty petite compared to the Mama T. Rex, who in turn has to look up to Dad. It's a classic tale of nature red in tooth and claw, except for nobody actually getting eaten. (Well, several critters are swallowed whole but subsequently disgorged, slimy with saliva but basically unhurt; family film, y'know.)The animation is terrific. Judging from the end credits, apparently the Astor beaver trade, long thot to be extinct, has experienced a renaissance in the animated-fur factories of California. Dino babies and mammal kids are ridiculously endearing. The 3-D is likewise terrific, well used where appropriate (especially in conveying a sense of scale for the underworld) but not overdone. The one carp I have is that 3-D simply does not lend itself to dissolves between scenes; I'm guessing the filmmakers figured this out themselves, as most of the time they used cuts.The characters, familiar now from the 2 previous films, are well acted with distinctive personalities, and the comic-relief possums have an expanded role. New to the cast is Scratte, a long-lashed female squirrel who, in a running subplot (including mini-cartoons to both start and end the flik), vies with the iconic acorn for the undying devotion of Scrat. As a devotee of the tango, I particularly appreciated their version of it. Also new is Buck, a bold, intrepid, 1-eyed buccaneer of a weasel, voiced by Simon Pegg with British accent in full flower.Really, it's amazing to realize how much stuff they managed to cram into barely an hour and a half. Never a dull moment, never a missed step. Why, then, does it not get my top rating? Not at all because, as a comedy, it doesn't deserve to be taken seriously. After all, Dogma was a comedy, and it maxed out on my rating scale. But Ice Age 3 wasn't quite an entire story, more a collection of loosely related parts. Every one of those parts was well done, tho; indeed, I'd gladly take any of them over the entire 2.5 hours of the noxious Transformers; sadly, this much better film probably won't do nearly as well at the box office. Too bad.
40 out of 54 people found the following review useful: Ice Age 3 is the return of true family films, 11 July 2009 Author: bearfaceproductions from Puerto Rico
Ice age 3 was really funny and it stays true to the series. Same old characters, a whole new adventure that everyone at any age can enjoy.I saw the critics and I thought to my self that it would be good, but I didn't expect much, but I really did enjoy it more than I thought. It may not be the best compared to the other Ice Age films, but it still a great thrill ride that the audience can enjoy.And if you find a theater near you that has it in digital 3D, go and watch it in 3D, because the action and adventure will excite you even more than it actually does.Normally people think since it's a third part, then the movie won't be that great, but hear me when I say that keep that thought out of your mind and parents, take your kids with you, they are sure to leave with a smile and a long lasting excitement for more.100% enjoyable, its a 10!
45 out of 68 people found the following review useful: A simple story executed to near perfection., 29 June 2009 Author: popcornposse from United Kingdom
Its all about family in essence. Starting one, keeping one, becoming one, protecting one. A family film about family is always going to ring the right bells (unless Eddie Murphys in it), and this is no exception! It's funny, its sharp, it's clever, and when it wants too will tug on your heart strings. It's everything a great family film should be. It has just as much humour to keep the grown ups happy as it does the kids.It's not perfect; it starts fairly slowly with scenes we've already scene twenty times in the trailer, but the further you go into this adventure the more fun you will have.A fantastic new addition to the franchise is "Buck" (Simon Pegg) a looney tune hermit possum who joins the herd around half way through. When he enters the scene, the whole movie shifts up a gear! Some of the stuff he comes out with will have you rolling in the isle! If you have the chance, you must see it in 3D! It's amazing how this new version of such an old and dated technology can suck you even deeper into a film! The chases are more exciting, the locations more real, it works so well! And it doesn't give you a migraine!Overall - Like a franchise should, Ice Age gets better and better and better! If you liked the first, you'll love the second! If you loved the second, you'll go crazy for the third! 2D - 8/10 3D - 9/10
33 out of 45 people found the following review useful: An excellent and welcome addition to the Ice Age franchise, 21 June 2009 Author: shanpanjwani from United States
I saw this film earlier today, since it was a sneak preview, and I must say, it was fabulous! When I first heard about the sneak preview, I actually had some doubts about whether to go or not. I recently went to a sneak preview of the proposal, which wasn't half bad, but the theater wasn't even half full!!! when i got into this one, all but the fist two rows were completely full! Still i got a great seat. As for the movie, it was great. All the characters had their fair share of laughs, and they all were equally great! The story revolves around change: Manny and Ellie are together, she is pregnant, Diego wants to move on, and Sid wants to belong and have a family. In order to attain his goal, he goes to look for some friends, but falls through a sheet of ice in the process. He then sees three eggs which turn out to be dinosaur eggs, and believes that they were abandoned. He takes them, and chaos ensues. I would reveal more of the plot, but that could take hours! It may seem like a thin plot if you haven't seen the movie or read the script, but once you do, you will realize just how dense the storyline really is. The cinematography is spectacular, the pop culture references(past and present) are very creative, and the addition of real d 3D just adds more to the film: it is perhaps the best 3D I've seen! Also, all the characters, as said earlier, are also great, but new additions, such as the dinosaurs, and of course Simon Pegg as Buck, are also very funny. There is also times where some of the jokes from Manny seem like the material that made Ray Romano a household name! However, the tie that binds the movie together is the emphasis on the main theme-family and friendship. There are some very dramatic scenarios that display them throughout the movie, and even allow you to feel like you can relate. Since most triquels like Shrek the Third and Spiderman 3 are considered to be clunkers, this will surely be a breath of fresh air to the sub-genre, and is definitely worthy of being an addition to the Ice Age trilogy. A must see in 3D!!! 9/10
48 out of 78 people found the following review useful: Surprised that I enjoyed it., 21 June 2009 Author: troykleasner from Dallas, TX
Not a bad flick. I don't remember liking the first one, skipped the second one and the only reason I went to see this one was because it was a "sneak preview" that started right after the movie I had gone to see and it was in 3D. I recommend seeing this one in 3D as it was worth the extra couple dollars. I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The story was really stupid and didn't make any sense (dinosaurs living under the ice???), but it kept me interested the entire movie, partly because of the hilarious side story with the acorn loving animal and an excellent job by Simon Pegg as Buck the weasel(I just got done watching his TV show "Spaced" so maybe I am a little partial), who I had no idea was going to be in the movie. This movie also did a wonderful job of keeping everyone in the audience interested. The theater was packed and the only things you heard besides the movie was popcorn chomping and laughter, lots of laughter. Definitely worth seeing at the theater.
22 out of 32 people found the following review useful: Good fun, 6 July 2009 Author: onona from London, England
Firstly, it has to be said that comparisons of this film to recent offerings by Pixar are unfair, not to mention way off the mark. People really need to lose this idea that animation is a genre. It isn't. It's a medium. The fact that two films are animated does not mean they should necessarily be compared - I've seen so many comparisons of this film to Pixar's Up. Up is not a comedy. Ice Age is. So stop comparing the two.Now that's out the way, all I can say is that Ice Age 3 is a silly, and yet absolutely gloriously fun romp for all ages. The characters are endearing and amusing, the world they're in is gorgeously rendered, and their adventure, while ludicrous, is nevertheless fabulously enjoyable. The addition of new character Buck provides lots of laughs, and the return of previous cute characters like Scrat, Crash, and Eddie will keep viewer's hearts melted.I'm looking forward to seeing it again.
30 out of 51 people found the following review useful: Fun for everyone., 3 July 2009 Author: kirk-246 from United States
6 hours ago,I went to the movies to catch the 4:40 showing of 'Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs' with my older sister and her boyfriend.I liked the first movie but I haven't seen the second,but that didn't stop me from wanting to see the 3rd installment in the popular series.Boy,am I glad that I spent money and 94 minutes of my life by seeing this.The movie was packed with humor,action,adventure,interesting characters,and even some heart.There are many relationships between characters in this movie that help it from melting.Manny and Ellie are 2 happy woolly mammoths who are expecting a baby.Scrat,the squirrel who continues on his hunt for acorns,meets a female squirrel named Scratee(Scrah-tay),and falls for her.Sid becomes a parent when he discovers 3 eggs underground.In short,I loved this movie.Bring on Ice Age 4
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