An Absolute Riot That's Well-Aware Of Its Limits.

Rating: Null/10 (16 April 2016)

Although Ice Age never needed a sequel to begin with, the success of the second chapter did give its studio another franchise to milk for all its worth. The third instalment in the Ice Age series once again fails to offer a compelling story but for me it is the most enjoyable chapter in the saga so far, thanks in particular to its energetic pace & vibrant slapstick humour.
The story of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs finds Manny & Ellie venturing into parenthood as they are expecting a baby. Diego plans to leave the herd after suspecting that he's losing his predatory nature. And Sid comes across three seemingly-abandoned dinosaur eggs, deciding to adopt them, but is abducted by their real mother and is taken underground where an entire lost world exists.
Directed by Carlos Saldanha, Dawn of the Dinosaurs packs in plenty of hilarious moments even if it doesn't offer anything rewarding in the storytelling department. Scrat's misadventures continue to be the series' highlight moments but the story's adventurous vibe is finely maintained. Manny gets an interesting arc to work with but the rest simply tag along. And the manic one-eyed weasel owns his moments.
The fluid operation of the camera in addition to its vivid use of colour palette & fab implementation of the third dimension gives its images a rich texture & feel, new characters fit in with relative ease, Editing swiftly paces the narrative & there is attempt at humour in nearly every segment although not all of them work out. John Powell's score is in tune with unfolding set of events while the voice cast ably chip in with required inputs.
On an overall scale, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a delightfully amusing, wildly entertaining & thoroughly mesmerising sequel that shouldn't even work but it does. It may not impress those who were expecting an emotionally rewarding tale with sensible characterisation but for those who are looking for a simple, relaxing & lighthearted extravaganza, it checkmarks all the required boxes. A romp ride that's well-aware of its limits, Dawn of the Dinosaurs is an absolute riot.