Third 'Ice Age' a crowd-pleaser

 ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS

3 stars

Rated PG

The third entry in this animated family-friendly franchise is a worthy addition with just enough fresh ideas and new characters to keep things rolling merrily along.

Woolly mammoth Manny (voiced by Ray Romano) and his significant other Ellie (Queen Latifah) are now a couple. Ellie is pregnant and about to give birth. Anxious father-to-be Manny tries to baby-proof his natural surroundings.

Saber-toothed tiger Diego (Denis Leary) thinks he is getting too soft and losing his edge.

The sloth Sid (John Leguizamo) envies Manny's domestic life and wants to have a family of his own. Feeling alone and abandoned, Sid falls through the ice and finds three large eggs in a prehistoric underground world. He brings the eggs to the surface, where they hatch into adorable baby tyrannosaurs. The angry mother dinosaur retrieves her babies and takes Sid prisoner. This forces Manny, Ellie and the two "brother" possums Crash (Seann William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck) to go on a search and rescue mission.

A colorful new character named Buck (Simon Pegg), a one-eyed, swashbuckling, dino-hunting weasel, leads the "herd" on this exciting adventure through the Chasm of Death and the Plates of Woe to their ultimate destination, Lava Falls.

The squirrel Scrat is also back in an alternate story running simultaneously throughout the movie. He continues to go after the elusive acorn, but a new wrinkle involves romance with a female saber-toothed flying squirrel named Scratte.

The CGI animation from Blue Sky Studios is first-rate with creatively designed, vibrant creatures. Despite a few dull spots, the filmmakers hold your interest while adeptly juggling three stories (the search and rescue, the impending birth, and balancing love and nut-gathering desires) in one movie. A variety of popular children's games are referenced in the easy-to-follow narrative.

This fun and exciting crowd-pleaser generates lots of laugh-out-loud moments. Kids will be able to identify with the distinct personalities of these familiar lovable characters.

Love and romance are the driving themes in the Scrat segments, which feature a choreographed tango and appropriate mood music including the Lou Rawls hit single "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine."

The main storyline's message is that being a parent is a lot of work. The kiddies should gain a thankful appreciation of everything they take for granted provided by mommy and daddy.

The arrival of the new baby mammoth named Peaches should set the stage for a fourth installment in the near future.

The eye-popping visuals and exciting action sequences are even better in the Digital 3-D version (complete with special glasses), which is available at several theaters in Johnson County including AMC Town Center 20 and Cinemark Merriam.

PUBLIC ENEMIES

2 and a half stars

Rated R

Acclaimed director Michael Mann ("The Insider," "Heat," "Collateral" and "Miami Vice") brings to life the true story of Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger (Johnny Depp from "The Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy), who was America's first Public Enemy No. 1. His doggedly determined pursuer on the side of law and order was the fledgling Bureau of Investigation's top special agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale best known for his role as Batman in last year's "The Dark Knight") in charge of the Chicago field office.

This crime drama is based on the best-selling book of the same title by Bryan Burroughs. This movie is a series of disjointed bank robberies, prison breakouts, car chases and machine-gun shootouts. You never really get to know anything about the underdeveloped characters after spending nearly 2½ hours with them.

It is very noticeable that the movie was shot with a handheld high-definition digital video camera. Mann's attempt to be cutting edge and radical just doesn't work in this period piece. The picture quality lacks the crisp visual clarity that we take for granted in 35mm film stock. The backgrounds have an artificial, washed-out appearance and the skin tones of the actors are pallid.

The peripheral characters such as Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, Alvin Karpis, Frank Nitti and various members of Dillinger's gang are given short shrift and not identified properly.

The love affair between Dillinger and coat check girl Billie Frechette (Academy Award-winner Marion Cotillard who played Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose") never goes below the surface to reveal the feelings behind the mutual attraction. We get to see them roll around in bed for a few minutes and Dillinger make empty promises about providing her with a whole new exciting life. They dance to the song "Bye Bye Blackbird," which is played repeatedly throughout the movie.

This superficial experience is short on dialogue and plays out with a slow cadence that mirrors real life. There are extended takes of corridors and hallways. Every bank and prison cell looks the same. Tighter editing could have chopped off 30 minutes without losing anything important.

Depp appears with a thin, neatly trimmed mustache. He, along with the other actors, rises above the flimsy, waterlogged story that elicits a feeling of emptiness for the characters.

The movie tangentially holds your interest, but could have been so much better if it had developed a rooting interest for one side or the other.

The movie's strengths are the sound, the period clothing, vintage automobiles, production design and a jazzy musical score provided by Academy Award-winning composer Elliot Goldenthal ("Frida") with popular songs from the era.

This hollow gangster-driven outing, which trades on Mann's reputation, is not in the same league as "The Untouchables" or "Bonnie and Clyde." Further evidence of the artsy nature of this project is that the title doesn't appear until after all the credits have rolled.

Top 5 Flick Picks

1. Up

2. The Proposal

3. The Hangover

4. Star Trek

5. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

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