Madagascar

There are so few movies that you can enjoy as a family, so perhaps I've given this more stars than it deserves. I did laugh out loud several times. The jokes are mostly "pop culture" references; for example, (the zebra (Chris Rock) has a treadmill in his area (not a cage, really) at the zoo.

This is sort of a twist on the fish out of water movies, as the zoo animals, according to the local animal rights activists, don't belong in the zoo; they are shipped off to Africa. Hilarity ensues; the animals don't end up at the planned destination and find out that they don't necessarily belong in the wild either. What I found unique about this movie is that for once, the actual nature of the animal is acknowledged. Ben Stiller's lion character realizes that everyone looks like a steak and wants to eat everyone. Of course, he realizes that he's "wrong" (HUH??) and tries to change. The kids loved it, I wasn't totally bored out of my mind, and the animation was pretty good, I thought. The penguins were especially cute. Wish they'd had more screen time.

I could not disagree with those who are calling this movie boring more. Is it a perfect movie? No. But it is fun, fast-paced, and highly entertaining. A theater full of children laughed almost non-stop, and even my husband (who honestly wanted to see the latest "Star Wars" movie) grudgingly admitted it was pretty good.

The plot is basic: four animals must try to survive in the wild, and along the way learn more about themselves. But the visuals are hilarious, the music is fun, and the interludes with the psychotic penguins? Priceless.

The only part of this movie I disliked was the casting of David Schwimmer. Although he did a fine job, the entire time I felt distracted by his voice- I was reminded too much of his Ross character from "Friends." So, don't go expecting an Oscar-worthy film, or even the next "Shrek." Instead, go to enjoy a piece of indulgent yet funny animation that will keep you laughing.

Madagascar is a movie produced by Dreamworks under the direction of Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, who undoubtedly achieved the perfect fusion between 3D animation and comedy, deriving as a final product a film for all audiences full of funny moments, moving music and really good animation for 2005, when watching the film you could tell just by seeing the characters their feelings and expressions that the animation team led by Shannon Jeffries as art director wanted to portray them to us.

The story of the film begins in the New York zoo, where there's a very diverse group of friends, consisting of a lion who is the protagonist (Alex), his best friend, a zebra (Marty), a hippopotamus (Gloria) and a giraffe (Melman). It all begins when Marty, on his 10th birthday, regrets how routine his life has become, which is increased by his desire to know what there is outside the walls that keep him captive, this dream of changing his life, combined with the ideas of a group of penguins which act as a squad of soldiers, leads this group of friends on many adventures.

The film is very entertaining, since its mixture of fiction and reality along, with some moments of dark humor, keep the audience focused on what will happen next during the film's 82 minutes, additionally, it instills important values like friendship and the anthropomorphic behavior of the characters will make us feel even more involved in the story that is presented to us.

I just love this movie. It's funny I don't care. This is a movie from my childhood that I still love.

I have to admit, I was sick of the over advertising, but I decided to give Madagascar a chance. Lately, I've actually been getting more into the computer animation flicks and wanted to see what Madagascar was all about. I don't get why there are a lot of users here on IMDb that absolutely hate this film or didn't really get into it, because I thought it was a very cute and enjoyable film for the kids and adults.

Marty, Meldman, Alex, and Gloria are all zoo kept animals who are pampered all day and entertain humans on a constant schedule. Marty wants more though, he wonders where he comes from and what it would be like to be in the wild. Alex, the lion, is truly against this and will have no part of it, but tries to find Marty after he escapes. The rest of the gang follows, but they are caught by the animal catchers and are sent back, but accidentally fall of the boat shipping them home and they end up on an island called Madagascar. They are "welcomed", if that's the right word, by other animals and must learn how to survive, but it's going to be hard when Alex is starving for meat!

I loved the American Beauty and Chariot of Fire references, I thought they were just so funny! There are more than a few good laughs in this film and I felt like it was being unfairly rated here on IMDb, yes, it's not as great as The Incredables, but I really feel like anyone could love this film. I'm actually going to be on my way to buy it, I loved it that much, so please give this movie a fair chance. Believe me, it's worth your time.

8/10