Movies
Madagascar
Four escapees from the Central Park Zoo -- a lion, a zebra, a hippo, and a giraffe -- are packed up and, in fulfillment of the tenth-birthday wish of the zebra, shipped back to the wild: "the live-in-a-mudhut-wipe-yourself-with-a-leaf wild," in the less sanguine view of the lion. ("They are just a bunch of pansies," observes the resident Lord of the Lemurs, even before the lion gets caught biting the zebra in the butt.) Palatable computer cartoon in the contemporary style of aggressive, hard-edged hipness. The lion's discovery of his innate catness is worked out predictably but adeptly. With the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, and David Schwimmer; directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath. 2005.
Reader Rating:
MPAA Rating: PG
I can't tell Madagascar from Over the Hedge from The Wild from Barnyard from Flushed Away, at least without the Internet Movie Database in front of me - all feature the same generic animation and critters living on the edge of humanity. The only thing that distinguishes Madagascar in my memory is that, after the animals escape from the zoo, they think "the wild" is actually the San Diego Zoo. This prompts one generic furry to mutter "What could be worse than San Diego?"
The answer? "This movie."
There is one bright side, or rather two - the spinoff daytime TV shows Penguins of Madagascar and Back to the Barnyard. Both are FAR better than the movies they're based on. But pretty much anything would be ---
By jayallen 3:28 a.m., Nov 12, 2009 > Report it