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Madagascar By David DiCerto Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) -- A quartet of pampered zoo animals take a walk on the wild side in the entertaining animated comedy "Madagascar" (DreamWorks). Directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, the tale opens in New York City's Central Park Zoo, where we meet discontented zebra Marty (voiced by Chris Rock), who, on his 10th birthday -- middle age for a zebra -- heeds the nagging call of the wild and makes a break to explore the untamed outback of Connecticut. Though quite happy in their comfy captivity, his zoo mates -- lion Alex (voiced by Ben Stiller), the zoo's star attraction; hypochondriac giraffe Melman (voiced by David Schwimmer); and hippo Gloria (voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith) -- follow in comical pursuit through Manhattan's subway system. In the midst of their adventure, they are caught, crated and shipped back to Africa, because the zookeepers think the mischief was a result of urban stress. While en route, a group of show-stealing penguins hijack the freighter and abruptly change course to Antarctica, causing the shipping crates to topple overboard. (The penguins' "Great Escape"-style breakout is a hoot.) The cargo boxes wash up in Madagascar, where the foursome is, er, lionized by the local lemur population, lorded over by King Julien (voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen), who gives new meaning to the word "party animal." The lemurs live under constant fear of the caninelike foosa, the island's main predators. In a reverse "Born Free" twist, the castaways find it difficult adjusting to life in the wild; this is especially true of the mollycoddled Alex, who longs to return to captivity. Meanwhile, the lemurs try to convince the city slickers to stay by showing them the upside of their exile, in the hopes that their oversized presence (and Alex's top-of-the-food-chain credentials) will keep the foosa's diet lemur-free. But the whimsical comedy takes an unexpectedly dark turn when Marty and Alex's friendship is tested. As Marty finds out about his maned mate, you can take the carnivore out of the wild, but you can't take the wild completely out of the carnivore. Visually, "Madagascar" is a delight, with vibrantly lush jungle backgrounds and richly detailed cityscapes. But the movie's early Big Apple sequences promise a better film than actually unfolds. Despite a strong setup, the plot is pretty bare. Once the action switches to the island setting, the film's sharp wit gives way to a slapstick brand of broad cartoon comedy which, though quite funny at times, is more sight gags than story. Compared with DreamWorks' past computer-animated offerings, "Madagascar" doesn't quite compare to "Shrek," but ranks heads and fins above "Shark Tale." As with those two films, "Madagascar" is full of pop-culture references (though to a lesser degree), which may in years to come date the humor somewhat. The voice talent is good across the board, though no one really stands out (with the possible exception of Rock). Following the current trend of animated features, "Madagascar" has something for everyone. The motley menagerie will have the kiddies -- and toy marketing executives -- giddy with laughter. Parents, on the other hand, can view the film's subtext as a Lockean refutation of Rousseau's nostalgia for nature, or an indictment of modern society's enthronement of comfort over freedom ... or they could just have a blast picking out the clever movie references (including "Planet of the Apes," "American Beauty" and "The Twilight Zone"). "Madagascar" imparts a positive message about friendship. And apart from a few rude expressions and innocuous off-color jokes, the film's wild kingdom wackiness is, like Alex, rather tame. The film contains mildly crass language and humor, cartoon violence, as well as some thematic elements that may be disturbing to very young children. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. - - - DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. END Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed. CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250 |
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