VickyVickster is Victoria Blisse, published author. victoriablisse.co.uk for details. Now in Print-b...
VickyVickster is Victoria Blisse, published author. victoriablisse.co.uk for details. Now in Print-buy Curvaceous @Amazon.
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"Mad-a-who ha?" You might ask, and I will say, Madagascar, the latest CGI film on the block from Dreamworks, following up on the success of the two Shrek movies and the not so success of Shark Tale.
My daughter adored Shrek and Shrek two, so it was inevitable that we'd have to see Madagascar. I am glad we did actually as it is a good all round family film of fun.
Marty the Zebra, Alex the lion, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the hippo live in a New York Zoo with other various animals including some escape-scheming penguins and some very British monkeys. Alex is the King of the Zoo, adoring playing up for the crowd but Marty his best friend yearns to go back to the wild. He uses his birthday wish to this end and makes his escape from the Zoo to find the great outdoors. However things don't quite go to plan and the group of friends end up washing up on a sandy beach in Madagascar and wander into the middle of a party.
Finding themselves in the wild they have to fend for themselves and soon become very much aware of what they are. This causes all kinds of strife and woe, but of
course, I'm not going to give much away if I tell you the friendly foursome make it in the end.
Madagascar isn't in the same league as Shrek. It doesn't have the same adult appeal, though it is entertaining and my three year old daughter enjoyed every moment of it. Chris Rock seems just right for the Character of Marty, excitable and as loud and brash as his black and white stripes! I have heard many people say that Ben Stiller doesn't pull off being Alex the Lion but I have to disagree. I think his mellow tones fit the almost domesticated Lion perfectly. Jada Pinkett-Smith is sassy, sweet and makes Gloria the cool and in control hippo come to life. Melman is by far my favourite of the friends though. David Schwimmer makes this hypochondriac of a giraffe seem believable as well as highly hilarious!
King Julien is voiced by Ali G and has some of the best lines ever, though he wouldn't be half as funny if it wasn't for Maurice his little monkey Vizier (Cedric The Entertainer) as the combination of these two and the sweet little bush baby Mort really show the mentality of herbivores in the wild.
The theme is a well known one. This is a buddy movie and illustrates the power of friendship and tolerance and how love can conquer anything. It is nothing new, there are no twists, no clever plot diversions but it isn't particularly needed in such a simple child's film.
The beauty is in the humour and especially the slapstick and punning that this film is filled with. There are many, many one liners that you will take home with you and annoy family members with. For the adults and teens there are many mick-taking moments, including a homage to "American Beauty" and a quick reference to "Castaway." As well as this, the Dreamworks crew go right back to the basics of good cartoon making and include lots of characters falling, being set on fire, chased, bitten and generally making fools of themselves!
The soundtrack is pop based and unobtrusive. You take note of it when your attention is drawn to it and it fades into the background at other times. Beware, you will end up singing "I like to move it, move it." as you leave the cinema and it will probably haunt you for days, if not weeks afterwards!
I have to mention the fact that this is a computer animated film, although it is not the rarity it used to be. The look is crisp and bright and colourful and the animals move convincingly. As with all CGI, the humans always tend to look a bit two dimensional and unreal, but as human participation is minimal in this film, it's not a major problem.
Who will this film appeal to? Anyone who enjoys the typical Disney film and doesn't demand to much from their entertainment. Some adults may not be particularly thrilled by it's slapstick and pun fun as it is not particularly clever in it's approach. However if you're happy to turn off your brain for around ninety minutes you'll not be disappointed.
Personally I enjoyed Madagascar a lot. I, however, am easily pleased. I am a fan of simple comedy and enjoyed regressing to the level of my three year old and giggling and singing along. If you or your child are a little more sophisticated and demanding then you might be slightly disappointment as Madagascar is not a real jewel of a film. It is just a jumble of jungle fun.You must see this in the cinema if:
You have a child between 3-6 (ish) years old.
You enjoy simple humour, especially slapstick and pun.
You should wait for the DVD if:
You have slightly older children who demand more plot from a film.
You are not a massive fan of CGI but quite enjoy a simple comedy now and then.
Move it! Move it! for MADAGASCAR, the year's most hilarious comedy, from the studio that ... more
brought you Shrek and Shark Tale.When four pampered animals from New York's Central Park Zoo accidentally find themselves shipwrecked on the exotic island of Madag...
![Madagascar [2 Disc Special Edition]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/103398043.jpg "Madagascar [2 Disc Special Edition]")
Jul 30th, 2005
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