Madagascar

Let's face it, it's hard to put out a good animation movie that is equal to Shrek, The Incredibles or Finding Nemo. Those are hard movies to follow but Madagascar is by no means a bad movie. In fact, I will still rate this pretty high, as I enjoyed it without watching the clock.

The plot was very easy for children to follow while not so simplistic that adults become bored in the middle. The simple plot was that 4 animals raised in a zoo venture out into the wild and quickly realize how easy they had it back home in the New York Zoo.

There was quite a few humorous scenes in Madagascar, but my favorite has to be the "distinguished" chimps who get offended that the thought of looking or smelling like a monkey is bad. An honorable mention is the penguins who also got more than they bargained for in Antarctica.

While some of the graphics are sub-par to other movies I've mentioned, like Alex the Lion (voiced by Ben Stiller) for instance. At times they look sort of like clay-mation or something, and other they look positively life-like. The scenery and the lemurs stand out as the most beautifully rendered parts of the movie.

This movie is great for getting the kids out of the house and not too bad if the normal adult wants to get away and enjoy something more suitable for the family as well.

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.

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 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