Monthly Archives: December 2008

Overall Rating: C-
Filmmaking/Artistic: C
MPAA Rating: PG

Overview

A very strange, somewhat disturbing follow-up to the original Madagascar, this sequel makes no sense unless you’ve already seen the first one, and has a bizarre “anything goes” morality that will probably go over the heads of really young kids, but give pause for those who are older.  An uninteresting story, plus stolen bits from The Lion King, make this a “skip it” movie.

Mini-review

Your Movie Monkey somewhat enjoyed the first Madagascar, especially the penguins, but this second journey definitely goes downhill.  Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffer, and Gloria the hippo are back, and while attempting to fly back to New York, crash land in Africa.

While there, each has a kind of separate story.  Alex is in the middle of a remake of the lion king, complete with Mufasa-esque dad and Scar-esque evil uncle.  (Producer: What should we do with Alex’s character?  We’re 15 minutes short.  Writer: Hey, I know, there’s this other animated lion movie…)  Marty finds that in Africa, he’s indistinguishable from all the other zebras, because they all look like him (and talk like him, since Chris Rock does all the voices).  It bothers him that Alex can’t tell him apart from the other zebras, so somehow, captivitiy was a good thing.

Gloria falls in love with a very big hippo named Moto Moto, and Melman professes his undying love for Gloria.

The movie is not very interesting… even Your Movie Monkey’s favorites from the first, the penguins, fall a little flat.  They are still somewhat amusing, except for the bit about the doll.  Somehow, the lead penguin has fallen in love with a bobble-head doll.  There are even “incriminating” pictures of him with the doll used as blackmail.  This was a very strange, inappropriate turn for a kids’ movie.

As was Gloria’s relationship with Moto Moto.  Firstly, Gloria and Moto Moto hang out in some form of pond that is clearly meant to look like a hottub.  Moto Moto is even drawn to look like a naked human, as he has chest hair drawn in on his skin in this hot tub scene.  His entire attraction to Gloria is admittedly physical.  Your Movie Monkey found these scenes creepy, and not altogether appropriate.

Plus, there’s a wierd subtheme about making a sacrifice (of Melman) to the “volcano gods”, in order to get water flowing again.   (Melman does this to save Gloria.)  This idea dreamed up by gender-bending King Julien of the lemurs, who at one point pops out with coconut bosoms and asks “Now who’s attracted to me?”   The movie at first makes it seem like Julien is just crazy, and the audience knows the real cause of the water shortage is a logjam upriver.  But when the jam is cleared, and Julien hints that maybe it wasn’t the volcano gods, the volcano kind of spits lava, as if to say “yes it was”.  Strange.

The best part of the movie (IYMMHO) was the return of Alex’s old lady nemesis from New York.  In her fight against the wild beasts of Africa, the beasts had better watch out.

Overall this is a morally ambiguous film that does not portray very good messages.  For a better review than Your Movie Monkey’s, check out the  Decent Films Guide.