Too many characters, too few laughs weigh down 'Madagascar' sequel
As anyone who's seen the previews knows, the Madagascar cast likes to "move it, move it!"
The original Madagascar movie in 2005 moved big money into DreamWorks' bank account, ringing up nearly $500 million in worldwide box office business.
The sequel, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," will no doubt do the same, even though it's not as good as the original.
The beginning of this film "moves it" way too quickly, whizzing through so many scenes and characters that it takes a while to figure out all of the plot lines and develop any feelings toward the returning stars, Alex the lion (voiced by Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (voiced by Chris Rock), Melman the giraffe (voiced by David Schwimmer) or Gloria the hippo (voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith).
When the moderately entertaining story finally takes shape, it fizzles into melodramatic, emotional speeches about relationships that are completely lost on the kids in the audience.
The story begins with the animals from the Central Park Zoo stranded in Madagascar. Wanting to return to their celebrity lives in New York (where they danced for zoo patrons), the penguins in the group fix the rickety plane and off they go. A short time after takeoff, the plane crash-lands in the African plains, leaving these pampered animal stars to fend for themselves among their wild counterparts.
Each character has his or her own plight, but the story centers on Alex, a lion who reunites with his parents in Africa and wants to prove to his father that he's worthy of being the "alpha male" lion. That's a problem, as the only thing he knows how to do is dance.
Another lion who wants the alpha male job sabotages Alex's efforts. To prove his worth, Alex ends up fighting a group of humans from New York, led by a feisty granny. They're there because the penguins stole their safari vehicles.
Perhaps the movie's biggest flaw is that it hardly made the kids in the audience laugh. Most of the humor is geared toward the parents, and they didn't laugh much, either.
Some sample jokes: Gloria the Hippo, who's been unable to find love in New York, laments in her girlfriend voice that "Manhattan is short on two things: hippos and parking." And the penguins fixing the airplane end up in union negotiations with a team of monkeys, arguing over maternity leave.
What saves this movie is its amazing all-star cast of voices. In addition to the original cast, there are a few new voices including will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas and Sherri Shepherd from "The View." It also features one of the last performances by the late, great Bernie Mac.
The animation is spectacular, making the movie visually fun to watch, especially on an IMAX screen, and the catchy dance music adds to the enjoyment. But, ultimately, the attempt to make a dozen zoo animals experience deep emotions falls flat.
"Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa"
Rating: Two stars
Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen
Directed by: Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath
Other: A DreamWorks SKG release. Rated PG for some mile crude humor. 89 minutes.