I woke up one morning married to a pineapple! An ugly one. (But I loved this film so...)

Rating: 10/10 (1 August 2009)

I was fortunate enough that my local theatre was not showing Ice Age 3 in 3-D. It is a technology that I thoroughly despise, and it is one of the most distracting gimmicks ever created for film. I was able to enjoy Ice Age 3 without getting relentlessly pummelled by 3-D (although, to be honest, I am slightly interested how 3-D was pulled off here).
Hopefully, Ice Age 3 will be the final instalment in the series. After the extremely disappointing Ice Age 2, I was expecting next to nothing from this movie. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, which is the best of the series.
Ice Age 3 finally solves the problem of the "Scrat" sequences. As much fun as the original was, the scenes involving Scrat felt random, awkwardly placed, and irrelevant. Scrat now has a role more tied in with the plot, and enhanced thanks to the introduction of a romantic interest/rival. Not only do these sequences remain hilarious, they feel more like part of the movie.
One of the great things about this movie is all the references. Ice Age 3 gloriously lampoons so many genres and films. It spoofs romance films wonderfully: when Scrat and Scratte kiss for the first time, lava shoots up behind them, bringing to mind the classic image of waves crashing high as lovers embrace. The interactions between the two bring countless romantic comedies to mind. Jurassic Park is often spoofed, such as one shot near the beginning that reminds one of the "raptors in the kitchen" scene. The familiar group of animals meet an insane survivalist, Buck (gloriously voiced by Simon Pegg), whose role not only serves the story, but also spoofs "stranded-in-the-middle-of-nowhere" movies. Pegg comes across as hilarious; Buck made me laugh the most. (Yes, I actually *laughed* during this movie.) There's even a fantastic spoof of action films, where the hero so often must decide whether he must cut the blue wire or the red.
The Verdict: Ice Age 3 is a pleasant surprise. The first film was fun. The second was a disappointment. Ice Age 3 is the best movie in the series, and the funniest. Although geared for kids, I too enjoyed it. It was loads of fun.
Overall Rating: 10/10 (Now don't get me wrong: the movie isn't flawless. But I'm giving this rating simply because it was that much fun.)