Ice Age: Dawn of the DinosaursMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs."

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So-so

Avg. Critic Score: 50 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

OK for kids 6+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

88

Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert
It involves some of the best use of 3-D I've seen in an animated feature. It also introduces a masterstroke that essentially allows the series to take place anywhere: There is this land beneath the surface of the earth, you see... Read full review
70

Variety | Joe Leydon
With appreciably greater emphasis on action than its predecessors, and clever use of 3-D trickery to enhance storytelling as well as offer spectacle, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs could prove the third time really is the charm. Read full review
67

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
The movie settles into a mode of nice, sweet, safe, and -- sorry, I have to say it -- slightly dull family fun. Read full review
50

San Francisco Chronicle | Peter Hartlaub
Will satisfy its young fan base and is bound to make a ton of money. At this point, though, the series is no longer an artistic pursuit; it's a business deal. Read full review
50

The Hollywood Reporter | Michael Rechtshaffen
Pretty much any sign of creative life gets left out in the cold in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the monotonous, strictly by-the-numbers third edition of the wildly lucrative digitally animated franchise. Read full review
50

Los Angeles Times |
A sometimes lively, sometimes listless wilderness adventure that will keep the kids cool and mildly entertained for a little while. Read full review
50

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Once fresh, the story is now buried under a hoary coating. Read full review
50

The New York Times | A.O. Scott
Couldn't the creative minds at the 20th Century Fox animation studios, hoping to wring a few hundred million dollars more out of their prized family-animation franchise, have come up with something more original? Read full review
40

Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern
There's also a sense of ineptness in a script that constantly reaches, with only modest success, for amusing things that the mammoths and their friends can do. Read full review
40

Washington Post | Michael O'Sullivan
Scrat's annoying ubiquity -- is just one piece of evidence that Dawn of the Dinosaurs has been focus-grouped and is now trying to please its presumed young audience a little more than is healthy. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says OK for kids 6+ 3-D sequel is fun but also more intense than past films.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that the third installment in the Ice Age franchise is likely to appeal to kids (even the preschool set) as much as the first two. That said, it's the first one in 3-D, so some scenes -- especially the ones featuring dinosaurs -- may be a bit more intense. There's lots of cartoonish violence, mostly involving Scrat and his new female friend (they also flirt and kiss, which is the extent of the movie's romance). Language is mild, but there's some scatological humor ("barf" and "poop"), as well as suspense concerning the main characters' ability to get out of harm's way.

Famiies can talk about the movie's central message about having an unconventional herd/family. What defines a family? And should it matter what a person looks like in order to be their friend?
Families can also discuss how the violence compares to that of other movies meant for young kids. Was the 3-D too intense?
Also, how did some of the characters act differently than you expected, like the weasel Buck and the mama dinosaur? And even Ellie, though she's pregnant, is no weakling. How does her character portray females?

The good stuff

Educational value: The movie may spark a real interest in prehistoric animals, particularly dinosaurs, wooly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, and sloths.
Positive messages: The movie offers a positive message about what it takes to be a "herd" or family -- no one gets left behind, new members are welcome, and everyone has a place.
Positive role models: Ellie -- a strong female character who knows when to assert herself despite protestations from her male partner and friends that she's not capable of defending herself -- is a lovely role model. Buck, although a loner, sacrifices a future with friends to defend them. A dinosaur and a sloth learn to care for each other, showing that affection doesn't depend on what you look like on the outside.

What to watch for

Violence and scariness: Lots of cartoonish violence -- some humorous (all of the acorn antics with Scrat, the baby T-Rexes swallowing their friends, etc.) and some potentially frightening (various dinosaurs chase the protagonists, threatening to injure them). For the most part, the dinosaurs don't do any damage except to Buck, who lost an eye to Rudy, the meanest, biggest dinosaur in the movie. The audience doesn't actually see Buck lose his eye, but Rudy is a scary-looking dinosaur, and the raptors are intense as well. The characters deal with several close calls.
Sexy stuff: The male and female Scrat flirt with each other and eventually pair off. Manny and Ellie, now mates, are expecting a baby and are quite sweet to each other, hugging and locking trunks. A couple of jokes involving Sid mistaking an animal's gender -- in one case he tries to "milk" an animal that turns out to be male; in another, he thinks a baby mammoth is a boy until Diego points out that "that's a tail."
Language: Mild insults (usually directed at Sid) and some scatological jokes about the dinosaurs ("poop," "barf," etc.).
Consumerism: Not an issue
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.