**½ Out of ****
For those looking for a sunny escape as the weather grows more bitter this fall season, I have some backhandedly cheerful news. The good new is: That Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (cringes at title) is actually significantly better then the hackneyed and infinitely disappointing original. The catch: It is still not quite good enough. Let me first say however that I am not expecting this review to be read and adhered to by young children, but rather is directed towards the public as a whole. Thusly, I would imagine, in fact I am almost certain, that young children will adore this film. But even myself being a huge fan of animated films, I will give tentative praise to
The original
One of the most prominent recurring issues lies with the voicework. Ben Stiller is bland, but when he does attempt to zest it up, it becomes readily apparent it is him. Gloria’s character is unmemorable, as is that of her silent admirer Melman. David Schwimmer is funny because of both delivery and expression, but his skill is halved when doing voicework, and leaves an awkward character. One thing I will raise compliment to, is the creator’s choice to dial back Melman’s germ-a-phobic tendencies and focus more on the character, but he is, alas, still someone of a downer in an Eeyore-esque way. Added to the cast is the scheming lion Makunga, voiced surprisingly banally by Stephen Baldwin who vies for Alex’s father position at the head of the pride. Boasting the much needed spunk, is Rock as Marty, Mac as Zuba, Will I Am as a womanizing hippo named Motto-Motto and Cohen as King Julian who gets more screen time, and wastes ner’ a second. And how could I not mention the penguins, which have not yet become gimmicky or annoying and add a lot of mature class to the story.
Overall however, Madagascar 2 bears an eerie resemblance to The Lion King, both in setting and characters, with the lost son, manipulative lion and wacky sidekicks. While not a deliberate rip-off, the comparison is unavoidable and only bears reminder of how superior that film is. There is also a disastrous subplot involving a stranded tour group led by an ill conceived and unboundedly obnoxious character called only “Nana”. All in all, kids will be entertained, and adults never bored, but it is not great. Not even compared to other DreamWorks offering such as Kung Fu Panda. If your child needs to rush out and see this in theatres, then be sure to oblige, but no harm would be done in waiting for the DVD.
© 2008 Simon Brookfield