Madagascar film review

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MADAGASCAR

It's hard to go wrong with an animated comedy about talking animals. Who can resist a bunch of rebellious penguins or literary monkeys who discuss their poo throwing habits? But in a time when kids films are so adult savvy, Madagascar, the mammalian equivalent of Shark Tale, lacks bite. The liberal measure of irreverence and wit that have infused such animated family fare as Shrek and The Incredibles is lacking in this slight and sweet tale.

Even the presence of the usually acerbic Chris Rock, who provides the voice of the adventure seeking zebra Marty, and the indefatigable Ben Stiller as Alex the lion, fail to invigorate things. What Madagascar lacks in indelible characters it makes up for in visual splendour. Its tropical technicolor world makes you want to grab the sun tan lotion, a pina colada and head for the local travel agent. It's certainly easy to understand why the captives of Central Park Zoo enjoy their escape from New York.

Too much of Madagascar has an air of familiarity to it. Marty bears more than passing resemblance to Shrek's Donkey, while the lemurs Julian and Maurice (Sacha Baron Cohen and Cedric The Entertainer) fulfill the obligatory role of comic duo. The pair's presence does come as welcome relief though after a drab start during which Marty celebrates his ten-year of captivity by dreaming of a world beyond the concrete confines. It's hard to imagine zoos will be thrilled by the negative light the film bathes them in, one that is bound to affect its impressionable young audience.

"You ever thought there might be more to life than steak?" Marty inquires of Alex. Prompted by the penguins' failed bid to tunnel their way to Antartica, Marty escapes, only to be captured along with Alex, Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) and packed off to Kenya. En route their crates fall overboard only to be washed up on a tropical island where the city slickers have their first encounter with the wild and the strange creatures that inhabit it.

Their natural instincts start to return, which in the case of Alex means all his old friends suddenly start looking more like dinner. "He's going savage," comes the cry. The New York Giants, as Julian refers to the new arrivals, find themselves facing the dilemma of choosing between freedom and all its unfamiliar perils or returning to captivity, with its routine and regular meals.