Movie Review : Madagascar 3

Rating : 2/5

This one is a snooze-fest for most adults. An over-the-top confection of noise, color and very little humor (for adults) this one is a pass unless you absolutely have to sit through it for the little ones. My little ones are not so little any longer, although they did want to see it. Post-movie they said they liked it and looked at least a little amused, so I’m guessing it still appealed.

Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) tire of Africa and long for the New York Central Park zoo. To get there they must join up with their penguin friends in Monte Carlo and make their way to New York by way of Europe. Along the way they find Inspector Chantel Dubois (Frances McDormand) in hot pursuit; she wants Alex’s head on her wall, and vows to hunt them down. The movie then is a psychedelic run through Europe where the animals join a circus, and smooth over rivalries with circus tiger Vitaly (Bryan Cranston) and make friends with sea-lion Stefano (Martin Short).

Animated films have come so far in their use of tech, that one is surprised at times with the amount of animation, sound and color that can burst upon the screen. And not all of it is good. Dreamworks productions almost always have their characters interesting and down pat – the expressions, the inflections and mannerisms are a pleasure to watch. However what this film lacks is good old story telling that keeps you bound to your seat. This is a predictable film, and you know where it is going – but sometimes these kinds of films work because of the nuanced portrayal on screen. Unfortunately this is not one of those films.

This film is mostly superficial; bright eye candy for the toddler film-goer, snooze time for the rest of us.