Madagascar (2005)

Pretty bog standard Dreamworks 'kooky anthropomorphic animals have a wacky adventure' fare. The animation is mixed - some beautiful moments, but some rather basic looking character design. Good enough to get by, but doesn't win any prizes, especially watched now. The fast pace means one doesn't get bored, but it means the conflicts and adversities which are supposed to add depth to the plot are left at a rather playground level. The film depends on the reasonably slick interplay between the four main characters for its impetus, but it doesn't have much more than that going for it, other than an enjoyable cameo from Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien. Probably one of those kids films which really is more for the kids. Overall, some memorable lines, a few smiles, but not much more than that. Not one you'd regret watching, but not worth a return visit.

Honestly, I'm not really sure why I actually watched this movie, though it probably has something to do with having access to it, being bored one night, and having been on the ride at Universal Studios in Singapore. To be blunt I found this film rather dull and pointless. Okay, the opening part of the film which was set in New York was fun but once they arrived at Madagascar the film suddenly went downhill. Also, I was expecting to see a lot more of the penguins than I actually did because as it turned out they were only playing bit parts, but were far and away the best characters in the movie (maybe because they were, as one of the animals described, psychotic).The film is about a Zebra who has turned 10 and lives in the New York Zoo, but spends his days staring at a mural of the wilderness. His best friends are a lion, a hippo, and a giraffe. For the lion life is pretty good because he gets fed steak everyday and is the centre of attention, however the Zebra is pining for better things. So, one day he escapes, and all hell breaks loose, and the authorities decide to send them home. Unfortunately, due to the ship being hijacked by penguins, the crates holding the animals are washed overboard and they land up on the shores of Madagascar.And that is about it. Basically there really is no plot. Okay, there is that Lord of the Flies concept where the animals are trying to fight off their savage nature, or at least the lion is trying to do so, however I'm not really sure if I could consider this to be the central plot. In another sense it is about how sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the otherside of the river, and that we should be content with where we are and what we have. Well, at this all well and good, but society seems to be suggesting something else, especially since the rich and the famous seem to flaunt their wealth (or at least some of them do). I could even suggest that friendship somehow transcends race, but I'm not really sure if I can say that either. In the end it is basically about a bunch of animals trapped on an island – I won't call it a desert island because Madagascar is pretty large for an island.Yet there is another interesting thing that comes up, and that is how animals in captivity generally can't be returned to the wild. Well, the Lion did, but being born and bred in a zoo sort of indicated that there were things he couldn't do and wasn't used to. In a way we find he constantly trying to fight that savage nature that regularly rises up inside of him – in the zoo he was given meat but out in the wild he had to go and find it himself. However a part of me doesn't really want to think about this movie all too deeply because, well, it didn't really thrill me all that much, though I had to admit that there are two more waiting to be watched, but whether I will watch them or not is another story.

This film tells the story of a group of animals from the Central Park Zoo that arranges a way to be returned to Africa. They are Alex, the lion (zoo's main attraction), Gloria, a hippopotamus, Melman, a hypochondriac giraffe and Marty, a zebra who, by the way, was the only one truly anxious to return to Africa. Who takes advantage of this is a pair of monkeys and a group of penguins with navy seals ticks. In Africa, they end up repenting and try to return to civilization, relying on the help of a joyful tribe of lemurs led by eccentric King Julian. The film is a lot of fun and some scenes are worthy of anthology, like the dance of King Julian, the main (the only) musical moment of the film. The voice cast have some well-known actors like Ben Stiller, Sacha Baron Cohen or Chris Rock, and they did their work very well. Unfortunately, although the film is good and very funny and the majority of the characters were well imagined, the secondary characters are funnier than the main characters, and everything they do ends up having more interest than the four central animals. This is serious and shows that the main characters have been poorly developed.

'Madagascar' is a good animated family film, funny enough to be enjoyed by adults as well as kids. The main character work well together, though I would have liked to see more of the penguins and the two monkeys - the funniest characters in the movie.The plot is lacking somewhat and falls away towards the end, but there is enough fun to keep it going for the full 80 minute duration. There were some good choices for the voice actors and the animation was, as you would expect, colourful and on point.What certainly not spectacular, 'Madagascar' is good animated fun that can be enjoyed by all the family.