Friday, May 27, 2005
MADAGASCAR
Featuring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer
Brief Synopsis: A bunch of animals from New York City end up on a ship hijacked by penguins then stranded on the said island off the coast of Africa.
Comments: People around me were laughing like crazy. The guys behind me were laughing so hard that it was difficult to tell if they were serious or they were taking the micky (the people with me assured me it was not fake). But the most the film got out of me was a smile or a knowing nod. Is it because I'm a miserable git? It might be because we were on the second row of the cinema (although admittedly there was a still a bit of distance between the screen and our feet). Or I could have had, at the back of my mind, the fact that somehow I had bought one extra ticket without noticing when collecting them (I asked for six, I inexplicably received and paid for seven). And I was constantly thinking of the book, The Life of Pi, and its stand on animals in zoos.
Oh the film? ;)
It's a fast flowing film. The pace moves along quickly which helps you because how much can you really develop the characters of zoo animals? The film is likeable but it wasn't as impressive as The Incredibles, for example. It's fluidity is somehow too fast but it makes up for this with lots of little cameo ideas which satisfy our instant appetite ("welcome the New York Giants!"). The friendship between Alex and Marty is the main crux of the film with other animals having their own agendas to add to the Madagascar mixer. Sasha Baron Cohen deserves a mention as King Julian because he really does bring his lively personality to his even more charismatic, dancing character which make the rest of them rather pale by comparison. And it's a short film because I was quite surprised when the guy came down the stairs to open the exit doors (which is something that really irritates me about Malaysian cinemas). Generally it's a nice enough film to put a grin on your face when you come out but it isn't going to make someone write a thesis on it (unless it's on the Dreamworks technology that makes the water look so darned realistic).
After this one showing, I can't say I would recommend it wholeheartedly but it might worth a second viewing (in a higher seating position!) to see if my opinion would change. Sadly though, I can't see this happening any time soon - especially with Return of the Sith not being scrutinized by my eyes yet! - so you might have to go with this review. What was also going through my mind was - should I take Ben for a viewing sometime before it gets shelved? The answer was meandering across the line of positive and negativeness until there was a scene where EVERY SINGLE animal started spitting water! Yeah, that's really not the sort of thing you want to encourage in a five year old and it's exactly the sort of thing that they would pick up and hold on to once they walk out of the auditorium!
Things to learn from this film: Never underestimate a penguin. And all the animals that like the cold are on the North Pole.
Rating: 5 /10
Featuring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer
Brief Synopsis: A bunch of animals from New York City end up on a ship hijacked by penguins then stranded on the said island off the coast of Africa.
Comments: People around me were laughing like crazy. The guys behind me were laughing so hard that it was difficult to tell if they were serious or they were taking the micky (the people with me assured me it was not fake). But the most the film got out of me was a smile or a knowing nod. Is it because I'm a miserable git? It might be because we were on the second row of the cinema (although admittedly there was a still a bit of distance between the screen and our feet). Or I could have had, at the back of my mind, the fact that somehow I had bought one extra ticket without noticing when collecting them (I asked for six, I inexplicably received and paid for seven). And I was constantly thinking of the book, The Life of Pi, and its stand on animals in zoos.
Oh the film? ;)
It's a fast flowing film. The pace moves along quickly which helps you because how much can you really develop the characters of zoo animals? The film is likeable but it wasn't as impressive as The Incredibles, for example. It's fluidity is somehow too fast but it makes up for this with lots of little cameo ideas which satisfy our instant appetite ("welcome the New York Giants!"). The friendship between Alex and Marty is the main crux of the film with other animals having their own agendas to add to the Madagascar mixer. Sasha Baron Cohen deserves a mention as King Julian because he really does bring his lively personality to his even more charismatic, dancing character which make the rest of them rather pale by comparison. And it's a short film because I was quite surprised when the guy came down the stairs to open the exit doors (which is something that really irritates me about Malaysian cinemas). Generally it's a nice enough film to put a grin on your face when you come out but it isn't going to make someone write a thesis on it (unless it's on the Dreamworks technology that makes the water look so darned realistic).
After this one showing, I can't say I would recommend it wholeheartedly but it might worth a second viewing (in a higher seating position!) to see if my opinion would change. Sadly though, I can't see this happening any time soon - especially with Return of the Sith not being scrutinized by my eyes yet! - so you might have to go with this review. What was also going through my mind was - should I take Ben for a viewing sometime before it gets shelved? The answer was meandering across the line of positive and negativeness until there was a scene where EVERY SINGLE animal started spitting water! Yeah, that's really not the sort of thing you want to encourage in a five year old and it's exactly the sort of thing that they would pick up and hold on to once they walk out of the auditorium!
Things to learn from this film: Never underestimate a penguin. And all the animals that like the cold are on the North Pole.
Rating: 5 /10
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