ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (2009)

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"I thought you were a female!"

The first movie was enjoyable, I hated the second one, but ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS is actually quite fun. It doesn't focus too much on the plot and spends most of its effort trying to take you on a roller coaster ride again, the high-speed... thrill that was missing in Ice Age: Meltdown. The 3D aspect doesn't do much but it doesn't hurt the experience either. It's engaging, funny, exciting. It may not be the best animated movie of the year but it's definitely one of the few decent sequels out there.

If you're confused as to how on earth the story can collide dinosaurs with mammals of the ice age when those two periods didn't actually co-exist in ancient history, the movie has its own silly explanation but you wouldn't mind because the animators have done a mighty fine job of introducing us to the majestic lost world beneath our feet. I'm very impressed with the careful attention to details that this movie has to offer. Not too shabby for 20th Century Fox.

In a way I think director Carlos Saldanha who's been involved with this franchise from the beginning, knows that it's going to be tough to compete when the release date is a week after Transformers sequel,... so this time around, they only add one significant new character, Buck, voiced by Simon Pegg, sprinkle some familiar themes about the good ol' family and friendship again but... incorporate various fast-paced action sequences one after another. Either getting chased by something, or chasing something, escaping carnivorous flower, or trying to take down a ridiculously huge dinosaur, ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS always finds a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat. It's kinda like watching a Jurassic Park movie but with Manny and the gang in the lead.

Story-wise, it's very simple, much like the characters themselves. The new kid on the block, Buck, is this free-spirited pirate-like adventurous maniac who knows the ins and outs of the dinosaur world. Simon Pegg is perfect for this role because he provides that euphoric, carefree energy that a kid would usually have. Buck is either daring and courageous or reckless and plain out of his freakin' mind but that's what makes him infectious and charismatic.

Manny and Ellie are expecting their first child and Diego feels out of place, like a third wheel, he wants to start his own chapter, apart from the unlikely herd but Sid's outrageous situation, parenting dino babies and the trouble that ensues, once again becomes the glue that brings them all together again as friends. Scrat and his new girlfriend Scrattee fighting over the acorn remain the comic relief, the frequent interlude that keeps us smiling, however.. seeing those dino babies copying Sid's every move to me is the highlight of the movie, but more funny moments await you,... just don't think too much and don't expect anything great ala Pixar, and you should be fine.