Go rent Madagascar today so you can watch the sequel next week!
a movie lover, a comedy connoisseur, a child at heart, a cartoon lover
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OCT
27
2008
Madagascar —
This movie was AWESOME. I think cartoon movies are getting better and better every time. Not only did the kids in the theater seem to love it, me and my 3 other adult friends were laughing most of the time. Chris Rock is great as the lead! David Schwimmer was a surprise, but was great also! Go see it as soon as you can so that you can watch Madagascar 2 when it comes out on November 7th 2008!!Plot
The movie begins with a zebra hopping through an open meadow, loving life, prancing around.. then Surprise! a lion is in his path, and Surprise again, he's brought back to reality. He's actually in a zoo, running on a treadmill, daydreaming of the meadow. The treadmill was the first thing that made me see this was going to be funny.
We soon learn the zebra, Marty, is in the New York zoo along with his friends Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo and Melman the Giraffe. While Alex, Gloria, and Melman think the zoo is heavenly, Marty longs to be out in the Wild! On his bday, he reveals his dream and the other's think he's nuts. Where else are you going to get steaks served to you, and your hair done. Where else are you going to get pampered so much?
On the other side of the zoo, we see the penguins are plotting to escape to Antarctica. They are organized, and have been digging a hole through their exhibit. Marty learns the penguins plans, and sees his leaving as even more realistic. So he does! He's wandering around New York, and his friends go after him to bring him back. This is only the beginning of their adventure... I won't say anymore! The plot is quite advanced, and it is as developed as any other movie. It is not predictable even if you think you know it all.
The Voices
Chris Rock was our star, Marty the Zebra. He's pretty good at these cartoon parts. His voice is simply entertaining! I felt as Marty was truly excited about the Wild. The voice fit the character well and the jokes along with it! Marty was a great character, fun and energetic, basically looking for the dream!
Ben Stiller was Alex. He was one of those voices I didn't recognize until I got home and looked it up. Fit the part well, but Alex isn't all that funny for adults, however for kids he's a hoot. The kids around me loved all the abuse that Alex goes through (the slapstick humor).
Jada Pinkett Smith played Gloria the Hippo. She was a pampered hippo with attitude and you could tell she was the right pick for the part. She brought some stability to the plot as she was the character that tried to keep everyone together.
David Schwimmer was Melman the Giraffe. I didn't know he was going to be in this, and for the first 20 mins my husband and I were wondering who's voice is that! Then when he did one of his standard Freak Outs (as seen often on friends) I immediately recognized it was Ross! David's voice is great for this part. He's funny, has freak outs that you can hear, and much the same character as he is on Friends. He's scared of everything. "Ahhhhh! Nature! Get it off!"
Other funny characters included Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter and Christopher Knights. All the characters had their own funny qualities. You'll surely like each new character that comes into the story.
Personification
Perhaps the reason this movie was so great was the way the animals were made human. Living in New York has left them with a New York attitude. After all, where else would a Lion be friends with a Zebra other than a zoo. The unique personality that was given to every single character down to the smallest lemur was fantastic.
References and Hidden Jokes
Adults are sure to laugh at the references to such movies as American Beauty, and Planet of the Apes. Even the "dirty" jokes are done in such a way that kids would never know why you thought that was so funny. This is what keeps the adults entertained well the kids are laughing at the slapstick part of it all. Perhaps that is why it is rated PG, but I doubt that young kids will notice anything wrong about it.
Dancing
"I like to move it move it"
There was quite a bit of animals dancing in this film, especially during the final credits (watch after the credits!) It was hilarious watching the Zebra get down, and the Lemur do the Robot. Once again, something that Adults will laugh at because of the references, where kids will just enjoy that they are dancing.
Visuals
Worth the movie theater viewing for sure. The visuals, as with most cartoons, were incredibly well done. I still can't get over how they draw them dancing! Besides that, the scenery, the zoo, was all very true to life. Although the characters are more cartoony than in some other animated flicks, they were drawn just right for the humor in the movie.
Music
I loved the soundtrack! Mostly because it references other things. The move it song mentioned above is only one. You'll note the National Geographic theme somewhere in there, "Born Free", "Stayin Alive", and "Chariots of Fire". The recognizable songs only added to the humor for the adult crowd.
Conclusion
Not much else I can say! Rent it now! Take your 10 years and up crowd and go catch it today. Your spouse will probably want to see it too because it is just that fun. Enjoy!
Last edited on Oct 27, 2008
Madagascar is recommended by vivasuzi
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