L'era glaciale 3 - L'alba dei dinosauri

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.

I'm a fan of the Ice Age movies and I think they're quite funny to watch and it's one for kids and adults but is a trilogy always a good idea? After Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, a lot has happened for these lovable characters. Now that Ellie and Manny are together, they are going to have a baby which leaves Manny wanting everything to be perfect for when the addition arrives. Diego is bored and takes a look at his attitude and wonders if he's too laid-back about everything. Ice Age wouldn't be Ice Age without Scrat who is still trying to catch that acorn but has met his match when female sabre-tooth squirrel, Scratte, wants the acorn too. After Sid sees how happy Manny and Ellie are, he wants a family of his own so he steals three dinosaur eggs which leads to Sid being kidnapped to a weird underground world where his friends have to save him.

The animation is simply brilliant and very well done and the characters are funnier too, especially the little clips of Scrat and Scratte fighting over the acorn. The story in the movie was very good for a kids' movie and adults can be assured that they will like it too. The jokes were quite funny and there were some sneaky jokes in there for adults but children wouldn't probably see it. Also the one-liners in the movie are pretty funny too, such as when Manny says to Sid, "Don't worry, you'll meet a nice girl with low standards". The cast who lend their voices for our heroes were great too, especially Simon Pegg as Buck who added a bit more of comedy to the movie.

Overall, I would say that this is better than the second movie but not the first. It's a great watch for kids and adults alike and is sure not to disappoint.

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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.

Manny is anxious with the pregnancy of Ellie and builds a playground for the offspring. Meanwhile, Scrat disputes an acorn with the female Scratte and they fall in love with each other while Diego feels old since he is unable to catch a gazelle. The lonely Sid feels jealous of Manny and Ellie and when he finds three dinosaur eggs in an underground cave, he steals and brings them to the surface. He hatches the eggs during the night and on the next morning, three dinosaur babies believe that Sid is their mother and follow him everywhere.

Meanwhile, the real dinosaur mammy seeks their offspring out and when she finds the trio, she brings them back with Sid to her underground world. Manny, Ellie, Diego, Crash and Eddie pursue the dinosaur to rescue their friend and stumble with a dangerous underground world. But they are helped by the smart and talkative one-eyed weasel known as Buck that wears a patch and chases the dangerous Rudy, who was the responsible for the loss of his eye.

"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" is a wonderful and entertaining tale of love and friendship, with adorable characters and witty situations. The love of Manny with Ellie is very beautiful; the triangle of love among Scrat, the acorn and Scratte is hilarious; the love of Sid with the three dinosaurs is funny and also heartbreaking. For me, the best scene in the story is when mammy dinosaur brings the three babies to the top of a tree and Sid is unable to climb it and says goodnight to the children. But maybe the most important is the friendship Manny, Ellie, Diego, Crash and Eddie with Sid, risking their lives to save their friend. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): A Era do Gelo 3" ("The Ice Age 3")

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