A Review by Phil Calabro
2005, Dreamworks SKG, Dir. Eric Darnell/Tom McGrath - Starring the voice talents of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Tom McGrath, Christopher Knights, Chris Miller, Conrad Vernon, Andy Richter
There is always something about computer animated films that I really appreciate. Due to their popular nature, they require the collective minds of smart and witty writers, and their well-thought out wit. Thanks to this, every animated feature always has some character or particular scene that I absolutely love. 'Madagascar', which showboats some talented actors and comedians to play a motley crew of animals, is mostly annoying, but it's the quirky supporting characters and beautiful animation that really bring out the best in it. For the first half of 'Madagascar', I couldn't tell whether I was bored or not - good jokes came out every once and awhile, but the rest were just leftovers from 'Shark Tale'. Once the second half swung around, so did the minds of the directors - a colorful escapist world of Africa is sculpted before our eyes, with crazy lemurs and cynical penguins to top it off. Kids will easily get a kick of this movie, but parents might tire of the incessant verbal gags - otherwise, 'Madagascar' is a wholesome, fun trip.
Alex the Lion (Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Rock), Gloria the Hippo (Smith), and Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer) are all big features at New York's Central Park Zoo. They live the high life, with pampering, press, and enough medications to last the neurotic Melman for years. But Marty has become shadowed by the citylife - after realizing how much attraction Alex gets from the people, he feels the zoo isn't the right place for him. After taking some sage advice from the psychotic penguins (McGrath, Knights, Miller), Marty decides to make a break - to move to Connecticut. In a haphazard attempt, he frees himself and roams around NYC. The three friends break out as well, in order to stop Marty from doing anything drastic. Eventually, it all boils down into all four being caught inside Grand Central Station, and being transferred to the wildlands of Kenya. But when the penguins sabotage the boat they're on, the four friends find themselves washed up on the island of Madagascar - which Alex finds to be the least attractive place on earth. While Marty tries to give the place a chance, as well as the lemur kingdom run by....the lemur king (Cohen)...Alex tries to find a way off the island.
Of the four main characters, only one doesn't remain a stereotype, and that's what makes him interesting. Ben Stiller's Alex is a pain to listen to - it's just like watching every other manic Stiller movie back-to-back, just listening to his whiny, simpering voice. The lion is supposed to be the king of the jungle, not some silly playboy at a zoo - this is a complete backfire on the part of the screenwriters. Chris Rock plays Chris Rock once again, even filling in for the few black-white stereotypical jokes that his character 'unique'. Racial comedy doesn't belong in a children's movie, and neither does Chris Rock. There's not much more I can say on that matter. Gloria the Hippo, who's supposed to be the most sound-minded of the main characters, is just a toy for the characters and really does nothing for the story. David Schwimmer's giraffe is by far the funniest of the four main characters, especially due to his neurotic antics and cynical humor that really sheds some light onto the story. Of course, the best characters are the Lemur King, voice-acted by Ali G/Borat himself, Sacha Baron Cohen. He sounds funny, his jokes are funny, he is the obligatory ounce of immaturity to this movie, and really pulls out the best in it. The four penguins are just as funny, a stroke of genius on the part of the four directors who lend their voices to them.
I appreciate the fact that these characters are not as lifelike as they should be. It allows the animators to lend a more creative hand to portraying different beings, and stretches the imaginative boundaries of CGI. Also, it helps the screenwriters when coming up with unique ways to joke with nature through sight gags and such. The only problem that arises is that through excessive jokes about pop culture and such, the message that the movie tries to send is watered down - and I'm afraid that this will eventually destroy the novelty in computer animation. Thankfully, 'Madagascar' is more concerned with to-the-book humor rather than mind-blowing wit, and so the animation still looks snazzy and the message is clear.
'Madagascar' is a funny watch, especially for the last forty minutes. Sans the main characters, the real beauty shines through the animation and occasional jokes - and yet still be a tolerable watch for parents. It's safe to say that Dreamworks isn't striking out, even with all the competition they're facing today.
