The point, of course, isn't how accurate a children's cartoon is in terms of paleontology (although why can't such a film be fun and scientifically accurate?), but rather that if this is the kind of thing that keeps coming to mind during a viewing of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs then maybe it's an indication that Fox has gone to the well one too many times with this particular franchise. Shouldn't we be sucked in by the humor and action and characters of the film more than we're worrying about the minutiae of the Pleistocene era? You see where this is going.
Blue Sky Studios returns here to the glacial comfort of the series it began for Fox in 2002, further expanding on the family of mammoths Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah), Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo), Diego the cat (Denis Leary), and the rest. Along the way, a new aspect of the Ice Age world is uncovered as Sid finds an under-the-ice tropical hotspot where dinosaurs still reign supreme. Yeah, kind of like Ka-Zar's Savage Land from Marvel Comics.
Predictably, if occasionally amusingly, the dimwitted but well-meaning Sid gets lost in this strange new land, at first as the adopted "mother" of three baby dinosaurs whose real momma T. rex is none too pleased with this accidental change in parenthood. So soon Sid goes from parent to captive of the dinosaur, and it's up to his motley group of mammal pals to save him.
There's a theme of parenthood that runs through the film, as Manny and Ellie prepare for the arrival of their own little woolly one (even if the mind boggles at how immaculate that conception must've been, judging by the lack of chemistry between the two voice actors), Sid adopts (however temporarily) his trio of T. rex babies, and even Diego the hunter ponders what his life has come to. Once a ferocious king of the jungle (uh, ice-jungle), he's now facing a future as that uncle -- you know, the one who never married but always was a little too ready to go to a niece or nephew's graduation or birthday party. Rendered domestic without even enjoying the real fruits of domesticity, in other words.
That's why he's so intrigued by Simon Pegg's Buck when they meet. Buck is an adventuring weasel who's made a life for himself in the dino-land down under (he even has the Aussie accent to prove it). He's living how Diego used to, by the seat of his pants and breathing in the wild adventure like the fresh air. The off-the-wall character, and Pegg's rendition of him, are among the brighter spots of a film that mostly feels old and tired, much like a new parent facing 18 years of servitude. And the resolution of the dinosaur-hunting Buck's arc is surprisingly refreshing considering the typically rote Super Friends of the Ice Age mentality of this series.
Also continuing to amuse is Scrat, the squirrel-like critter "voiced" (wordlessly) by series head-honcho Chris Wedge. Endlessly put-upon in his search for the perfect acorn, Scrat too approaches domesticity as he meets a femme-fatale of his species who is, as they say, a tough nut to crack. The two tango, literally at times, as they fight over that acorn, falling in love along the way.
It's all perfectly designed and rendered, certainly, this third Ice Age, though there's nothing that really stands out in one's memory after leaving the theater. Full of action and the requisite character development touchstones for a film of this ilk, Dawn of the Dinosaurs ultimately reminds the viewer of its titular prehistoric beasts. It's a franchise that's, hopefully, going… going… gone.
2.5 out of 5 Stars, 5/10 Score
Verdict
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a game that should satisfy the franchise's young fan base. It's got the characters they know and love, it's got a bunch of different gameplay types bundled together to keep hold of short attention spans, and it shouldn't be too difficult. Still, the game probably won't appeal to players outside of that limited demographic -- it's way too easy, characters float on top of stuff, some of the voices are annoying, and so on. I personally enjoyed the variety of gameplay and chasing the Trophies for challenges, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone but an Ice Age super-fan under the age of 10.