‘Madagascar’ Conquers All, Including Darth Vader

Even though Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith set a new record as the fastest film to hit the $300 million mark (in 17 days), it was been bested for the top spot at the box office earlier this month by Madagascar, the latest film from DreamWorks, the producers of the popular Shrek movies (Shrek 2, by the way, previously held the record for fastest film to $300 million by getting there in 18 days).

Who would’ve thought that Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer, the four likable actors whose voices headline the hit family comedy about comfortable Central Park Zoo animals who find themselves thrown out into the uncomfortable wilds of the island Madagascar, could conquer Darth Vader and the Force last weekend? Even so, the box office still took a tumble and for the 15th consecutive week fell short of the previous year’s ticket tally.

But enough of this talk of records and receipts… what about the movie itself? Well, audiences who were stung by DreamWorks’ last animated feature, the lackluster Shark Tale, will be pleasantly surprised by Madagascar, which doesn’t quite reach the frenzied, hilarious heights of the Shrek films, but has more than enough energy, laughs and visual flair to make for an entertaining 90 minutes at the movies.

Alex the lion (Stiller), a die-hard New Yorker who enjoys his life as the featured event at the Central Park Zoo, worries about his best pal, Marty the zebra (Rock), a jovial sort who has grown discontent with his regular regiment in the Big Apple and dreams of an existence outside the Central Park Zoo and hopes for a chance to visit the “wilds” of Connecticut.

When Marty has a run-in with the zoo’s cabal of penguins, which are hatching an escape plan of their own, his getaway thoughts take flight and he’s off to Grand Central to catch a train up north. But when Alex and his friends Melman the giraffe (Schwimmer) and Gloria the hippo (Pinkett Smith) chase after him to change his mind, the four of them are captured and shipped away to what they think is another zoo. Little do they know that they will come face to face with the true wilds of nature and it may have a surprising affect on their friendship and their future.

Thankfully, Madagascar avoids one of the main flaws of Shark Tale, which placed too high a percentage of its humor on getting the joke of who’s behind the characters. Whereas that film relied solely on the voice actors to create characters worthy of our attention (and gave them very little material from which to work), this film features a decent (albeit fairly simple) script that actually creates some decently-defined characters instead of making it exclusively about the ad-libs between Stiller, Rock, Schwimmer and Pinkett Smith.

There are plenty of pop cultural references (most hit, some are groaners), but the film’s best asset, apart from its stellar animation, which avoids a completely photo-realistic approach and finds its own unique, angular style, is its supporting characters, many of which nearly steal the show. The “psychotic” penguins are a riot each time they’re on screen, a pair of chimpanzees have a hilarious bit, and the population of lemurs whom our heroes encounter on the colorful island (three of whom are voiced by Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter and Sacha Baron Cohen, a/k/a “Da Ali G” of the famed UK show) prove to be a very festive and fun bunch that’ll likely have the kids laughing in the aisles.

All in all, Madagascar, rated PG for some crude humor, mild language and some thematic elements (when Alex’s inner beast begins to come out, some of the scenes may either frighten younger children or go over their heads), is an entertaining summer flick for all ages and a viable option for as a family-friendly alternative to the other blockbusters at the theater.