By Munam Wasi
Staff Writer
Dreamworks’ “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” opens exactly how all the other “Madagascar” movies begin, with funny lines and absurdity. The movie has great entertainment value but ultimately fails to deliver on a well thought-out story.
With so many different avenues for plot development, “Madagascar 3” had much potential. However, in recycling the same “home is where the heart is” message from the previous two movies, nothing new is added to what is supposed to be the end of the trilogy. The movie’s overtly sentimental message is so obvious that one only needs to watch the first half to predict the end.
The story centers around Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller); Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock); Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer); and Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) as they leave Africa in an attempt to return home to their original zoo in New York City. After being abandoned by their friends, the Penguins and the monkeys, who hightail to Monaco, decide to take matters into their own hands.
After an initial escape from a boat captain that wants them dead (Frances Mcdormand), the animals crash in Rome. They only manage to escape destruction by hiding with a lackluster circus troupe, composed of a composed of disillusioned Vitaly the Tiger (Bryan Cranston); Gia the Jaguar (Jessica Chastain); and the idiotic Stefano the Sea Lion (Martin Short) in an attempt to return “home” to New York.
Dreamwork’s animation, as expected, is impeccable, and the movie looks very pleasing overall. This movie looks very good in 3-D and the rampant destruction and the antics of the circus troupe easily pop off the screen. The animators showcase great talent, with color contrast and lots of flashing lights.
As far as the humor goes, the movie’s insane portrayal of an all-animal rendition of Cirque du Soleil is entertaining. Funny scenes include the animals crashing into mountainsides, a bear in a tutu riding a Ducati motorcycle, and the Penguins performing a martial arts routine, knocking out police officers.
The movie’s plot is also too weak. It lacks any sense of quality writing and is filled with miscellaneous themes and motifs that are eventually left unfulfilled.
These problems were exacerbated by an unequal balance of speaking roles as well. With many more minor characters, it was hard to determine the relative importance of various characters; all characters essentially spoke for the same amount of time.
Overall, the plot is too simplistic and the movie is too short to have any proper advancement of a potentially great storyline, running only 85 minutes. Serious themes and side-stories arise rapidly, but they either get resolved immediately or never reach a conclusion.
While the first “Madagascar” film appeals to all ages, this appears to only target children with its lights, sounds, and humor. “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” is nothing to be compared to the original “Madagascar.” The movie is rated PG and is playing in theaters everywhere.
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