Madagascar 3: Os Procurados

Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman and the rest of their gang return in the third installment of the "Madagascar" series, and yes they are still trying to get back home to New York City. This film has them traveling with a group of circus animals all throughout Europe on the run from a French animal hunter who has killed every animal and has mounted their head on her wall, except for a lion.

This movie stars the voice talents of Ben Stiller (Tower Heist, Tropic Thunder), Chris Rock (Grown ups, The Longest Yard), David Schwimmer (Friends, John Carter), Jada Pinkett Smith (Ali, Collateral), Sasha Baron Cohen (Borat, Bruno), Cedric the Entertainer (Larry Crowne, Ice Age), and Bryan Cranston (Drive, Breaking Bad). Everyone did a great job with their characters and it was a blast to hear all these familiar voices in a film together again.

I have been a fan of the previous "Madagascar" films, and that still is the case, but I really didn't have any hype for this movie because from the trailers, it didn't really look that good. I am glad to say that it is the complete opposite of that. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed film from start to finish and thought that for certain audiences, the film is perfect. If you are a younger person (12 and under) the movie will entertain and make you laugh the entire time. Now for the other demographic (13 and up), the film is still a really fun experience having jokes that adults would get, as well as some really funny situations.

The "Madagascar" series has been known to be over the top, but "Madagascar 3″ takes the cake for being the most over the top one yet. You can not simply go into this movie expecting a toned down film featuring animals that can talk and doing anything that humans can. You have to go into this film with an open mind and just enjoy the ride. I found myself laughing constantly throughout the film and I couldn't help but have a smile on my face the entire time. This movie made me feel like I was a kid again and that is one of the best feelings there is.

This is easily the best movie in the series in my opinion. What really blew me away though was something that wasn't crucial to the movie, and that was the 3D. This is probably some of the best 3D I have seen in a film. I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to pop out next. If you see this film, please do yourself a favor and see the 3D version of it, you will not be disappointed. I highly recommend this film to all ages. Whether you are a kid or an adult, you will find enjoyment in this film.

Rating 7.5/10

I watched this at the Cannes Film Festival 2012 after deciding to take a break from all the serious art-house fare on offer. With the exception of Ben Stiller's lead all the original supporting leads take virtually a back seat in this third instalment. But several great new characters are introduced namely Frances McDormand as Captain Chantel DuBois, Bryan Cranston as Vitaly and the fabulous Martin Short as Stefano. All there performances are stand out but wished Shorts Stefano was featured more. Cranston as Vitaly was beautifully menacing but it is the wacky deadly policewoman in charge of hunting down and capturing the animals as they make their way across Europe which is the centre of the narrative drive. Since the police team where obviously the bad guys (DuBois only wants to capture Mike (Ben Stiller) so she can add his head to her mounted collection of stuffed animals on her office wall) it was ironic that I watched this in France since the police were portrayed as bunch gung-ho obsessive freaks (DuBois crawls around on all fours to sniff down her prey like a dog come insect). The film was screened in 3D, initially I was apprehensive since I don't really enjoy 3D movies but this was a pleasant surprise. After a few minutes I had completely forgotten that I was wearing the 3D glasses and actually...in the spectacular climatic scene I was completely wowed. An explosion of vivid movement and colour formed an intricate moving tapestry of light and colour that was gorgeous to watch. The kids will love it and any one young at heart enough to let themselves loose themselves in escapist fun for a couple of hours. One of the best "family" animation films that I've seen in years and highly recommended. Oh I nearly forgot....Baron Cohen's (as The King) love affair with a giant mute bear is both surreal and priceless!

It's been four years since the last Madagascar film was released. Surprisingly, the elements of the franchise is still there and the film does not feel strangely different like in most sequels. Except, this one has a larger scale and crazier action. Well, Dreamworks Animation has gone to a new level in animation. Bringing a quicker, bigger, and more spectacular visuals to the film and make it a non-stop ride and worth it in 3D. But it's still not as compelling as any other classic animation films. The only purpose of these Madagascar films is to have fun and it truly succeeds in doing that.

It has the same old trope of the series. The gang trying to get back to New York then they suddenly bumped into new friends and they end up lingering to their situation and an old lady hates Alex the Lion. The penguins having the best gags and King Julien being crazy. It's delightful and the fans will be pleased for seeing these again. The new characters are as likable as the original characters. While everything is fun, the wonderful visuals adds the film's enjoyment. There are plenty of sequences that are meant to be seen in the big screen, either in 2D or 3D.

Some scenes are ridiculously exciting, some are awfully eye-candy. The film itself is like a spectacular show with so many wonderful colors. But it does not go beyond that. The film only wants to be big, fun, and nothing else. Just make sure you are not looking for more than mind-blowing visuals. The jokes are still pretty hilarious. You will still root for these characters. There is no need to tell how was the voice acting because all of them are predictably good.

Madagascar 3 is the most gorgeous part of the series but not quite the best. The trilogy will probably remain only as a little cult classic. We loved the humor, the characters, and their crazy antics. The movies have heart but there is a little impact to their drama. It's not something like Pixar. But these Madagascar films have their own personality and we accepted it. Talking animals escaping and creating some disaster. Slow moments with clever and sometimes slapstick gags. If you are a fan of these films then you will see something spectacular to it, but like I said, there is nothing bigger than that.

Actually the best of the three. Had more laughs and heart than the other two films combined.

So everyone tells this is the "worst of the series" so I watched this on low expectation but oh my god were the reviews wrong. This is THE best Madagascar film by a long shot. I laughed more in this 1 film than I did with the first 2 COMBINED. The first and second acts are descent but the funny moments make it good. But what makes this scale so much higher than the first 2 for me is the final or 3rd act. The final circus performance is legit very cool with hilarious humor still in tact. I enjoyed it so much that I was straight up clapping how awesome and sick it was. But of course DuBois is just absolutely hilarious and easily the best of the 3. If this had emotions this actually had the chance to be a 10/10. Overall is this the worst? Nah this is by far the best of the series with hilarious humor, really likable new characters especially Stefano, the best villain and this actually fixed some of the problems the first 2 had Rating: 9.1/10 Madagascar 2 rating: 7.7/10 Madagascar 1 rating: 7.4/10.