Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

The third instalment of the Ice Age series starts with the mammoths Manny (Romano) and Ellie (Latifah) expecting their first child. Manny is working hard to make sure that everything is perfect when the baby arrives. Meanwhile Diego (Leary) starts to believe that he is losing his nature as a tiger, after hunting a gazelle but not managing to catch it. Sid the Sloth (Leguizamo) becomes increasingly jealous of the mammoths family. When Sid wanders into an underground cave, he comes across three “abandoned” eggs and decides to raise them as his own.

When the eggs hatch, Sid is presented with three baby tyrannosauruses which he heroically tries to raise, but struggles to control. When the babies' mother arrives, Sid is taken to a vast underground jungle where the dinosaurs have survived. The herd move to rescue Sid and encounter the dino-hunting weasel Buck (Pegg), who agrees to accompany the herd into this strange world, as they search for their lost friend.

This instalment continues the wonderful interactions between the prehistoric heroes. As ever, Sid’s nature leads to some hilarious moments that inevitably land the herd in trouble. Admittedly, using the same old characters makes things a bit predictable, but the introduction of Buck the crazed, one-eyed weasel is an excellent and welcome rejuvenation of the series. The faster pace and increased level of action in this movie also ensure that things stay interesting.

Of course, what Ice Age would be complete without Scrat the sabre-toothed squirrel desperately chasing his beloved acorn? This time however, things are complicated by the presence of Scratte, a female sabre-toothed squirrel. Scrat must choose what he loves more, Scratte or the acorn?

Mat Gardner