“Madagascar” (DreamWorks)
“Madagascar” is another film from the DreamWorks animation team that brought us “Shrek” and “A Shark’s Tale.” Believe me, this movie is more “Shark’s Tale” than “Shrek.” The animation is great and the “guest” voices are good; but the plot and the jokes are a little weak. Kids may laugh at the silly lion, zebra, hippo and giraffe; but the rest of the audience will be watching their watches and wondering when this beastly saga is going to end.
The movie starts by introducing us to some animals in the New York Zoo. They are the lion named Alex (Ben Stiller), the zebra named Marty (Chris Rock), the hippo named Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith), and the giraffe named Melman (David Schwimmer). Marty is bored with being a zoo exhibit and wants to move on to greener pastures – such as Connecticut.
When the penguins escape and flee the zoo Marty follows suit. He makes it all the way to Grand Central Station. That is where Gloria, Melman and Alex find him. That is also where the humans find them. They take them back to the zoo but soon ship them out for Kenya. When the penguins take over the ship and head it for Antarctica, the four “beasts” are accidentally pushed overboard and end up in Madagascar. There they have to face life in the wilds.
That is just too much plot for an animated movie. It gets too complex and too tiresome about half way through. It needs some songs to liven it up, and it needs more of the penguins to keep it funny. Neither happens.
The film is rated PG for some crude humor and mild violence.
Once audiences saw “Aladdin,” “Shrek,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Toy Story” the bar for animated movies was high. Just an ordinary movie with ordinary characters won’t do. We expect and even demand more from our animated stories. “Madagascar” is ordinary in every sense of the word. It entertains but it doesn’t impress.
Kids will probably love this movie but it will not reach across the ages and entertain everyone. “Madagascar” is “A Shark’s Tale” in lion’s clothing.
I scored “Madagascar” an uncharted 4 out of 10.
