Madagascar

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

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

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.

'Madagascar' is by no means the worst CGI animated flick but it's far from the great movies Pixar has given us over the last 10 years. Storywise, it is simple enough for kids to enjoy but there are too many plot holes so forget about educating them about animals. The pacing is quite bad as it really slows down in the middle. Some of the gags are overdone and as a result, they fall flat. The dialogues are mostly okay.

The CGI is far from terrific but the vivid colours somehow make up for it. The virtual Madagascar is colourful and spectacular to look at. There is plenty of energy (sometimes a bit too much) to keep the audience tuned.

The characters are a tad over the top. Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith are alright. Ben Stiller tends to be a little irritating. McGrath, Knights and Miller totally rock as the three penguins. For me, the penguins were the best and funniest parts.

'Madagascar' may not be the best example of entertaining CGI flicks but it makes for a decent one time watch as long as the viewer is willing to suspend their beliefs to a certain extent.

A great story of friendship and survival where an animal escapes from the zoo and his friends go to pick it up but everything goes wrong. The plot and their misadventures are quite original and the whole thing is rendered very well and generates great fun