Madagascar

Voices of: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron Cohen
Directed by: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Rating: PG
Genre: Animated, Children's
2005

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Several animals in a zoo, a zebra (Chris Rock), lion (Ben Stiller), hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), and giraffe (David Schwimmer) are sent back to the wild. A detour caused by some penguins lands them in the jungle, where they are forced to fend for themselves. Their friendship and their allegiances are tested in the wild.

Review:

Tim: I was disappointed in this animated film. It never really appealed to me, and the whole time I watched it, I just couldn't get into it. I didn't find it particularly funny, which is a death sentence for an animated children's film. I'm sure kids will enjoy it, but the humor is far too juvenile and stupid for intelligent adults to enjoy. This is by far the most damaging aspect of the movie, and it nearly sinks the entire ship. The one saving grace in this film are the penguins. They bring 99% of the laughs, and are the one redeeming quality in this otherwise disappointing film.

The movie has some silly plot about the animals not being happy in the zoo, being shipped to a wildlife preserve, and because of the penguins (thank God for the penguins), they end up in the wild and have to fend for themselves. Here we get some life lessons about friendship, but the whole thing is so silly, that I don't really care about it. The lemurs are somewhat humorous, but not much.

The voice cast is somewhat disappointing. Ben Stiller isn't great as the lion. Jada Pinkett Smith is absurd as the hippo, which would be my least favorite character if it wasn't for David Schwimmer and his stupid, annoying giraffe. Chris Rock is actually pretty good as the zebra, and Sacha Baron Cohen does good work as the lemur king.

Madagascar is a disappointing animated film that can't compare with some of the better films put out by Pixar or even Dreamworks' better fare. Still, there are a few worthwhile scenes that help save this movie, and if for no other reason you do have the penguins. That right there is almost enough to recommend this. Almost... but not quite.


Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Shrek, Shrek 2, Night at the Museum, Flushed Away