There is no hiding from the fact that most sequels are about milking a franchise long after the dead horse has been flogged. This latest movie is no exception, but done in a way that at least got faithful fans back to the theaters.
I and many people who enjoyed the first two frozen comedies would have been fine if the last were the end of the series, but that does not mean much if ticket sales are high enough. Despite this, I was not entirely disappointed with the flick and was laughing at every canned joke along the way. “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” proves that it had a little story left to drag out, but hopefully not enough to become the next “Land Before Time.”
The story pretty much follows a similar path to “The Meltdown” with classic characters Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo), Diego (Denis Leary) and Manny (Ray Romano) struggling to keep their herd mentality together. Ellie (Queen Latifah) returns as well, though she is eating for two and audiences can also expect more brotherly mischief from Crash (Seann William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck).
In this adventure, Sid feels even more left out of the family atmosphere and decides to adopt a few eggs as his children, much to the dismay of Manny and Ellie. Little does Sid know, but he has actually adopted the offspring of a certain Rex, who is not too keen on giving up her wee ones. The whole gang is then thrust into a world once though extinct where they must survive while fixing another mess the sloth has made.
One of the main reasons I (and many others) went to see this sequel was to see the antics of Scrat (Chris Wedge) who did not disappoint in the least (The female flying squirrel thing was one of the best additions). That said, this is a film for the whole family and has plenty of inside jokes depending on your age and mentality.
While the addition of a baby mammoth could certainly encourage another film or 10 I must again say that this film really needs to be the last. Please, as much as I enjoyed it, it did feel a bit strained which means this project has been played out enough (Alas I may be a bit too late anyway). For a great time out and at least keeping it somewhat fresh I give “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” three and a half shivers out of five.