"That's a nice-a donut."

Monday, May 30, 2005

Madagascar (2005)

Madagascar, the new CGI-animated movie from the folks behind Shrek, is an unfulfilling retread of the fish-out-of-water story that we've seen numerous times before. The movie begins in the tiny Central Park Zoo smack in the middle of Manhattan. We have four stars here: a lion (voiced by Ben Stiller), a zebra (Chris Rock), giraffe (David Schwimmer), and hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith). These animals are coddled and treated like royalty (especially the lion). They get to put on a show for the adoring crowds every day and are fed very well. The lion king even sleeps under a tanning bed, and the zebra has a treadmill. Oh, and the giraffe is a hypochondriac who relies on an array of medicines to keep him going each day. Well, the zebra is having some misgivings about his place in life. He witnessed some psychotic penguins breaking out of the zoo (to go to Antarctica) and is thinking that maybe he belongs in the wild as well. He does escape and his three friends go looking for him; after some escapades they end up on a ship headed for an animal preserve in Africa. Things go terribly awry and they end up on the tropical paradise of Madagascar with a colony of lemurs who worship them, and a band of foosas (kind of like hyenas) who want to eat them. Of course, since they are actually in the wild now, they must find their own food to survive and this sets up the main story wherein Alex, the manly lion, must overcomes his natural desires to eat his best friend, the zebra.

The main problem with this movie (other than the deplorable Ben Stiller, who we'll get to in a moment) is that it is less concerned with the plot and developing a good story than it is with trying to be hip. Unlike Pixar movies such as The Incredibles, Dreamworks Animation feels that it must overcompensate for its bland been-there/done-that stories by cramming in as many in-jokes and movie parodies as possible. Planet of the Apes! Cast Away! American Beauty! Lord of the Flies! Silence of the Lambs! Don't get me wrong; I love a nice sly movie reference, but if they are going to consume such a big part of the movie I'd prefer if they just went all the way ala Airport or Naked Gun.

As for Ben Stiller, I once again see a tired, unfunny performance to create a very annoying and rather dislikeable character. And that is not a good thing when the character is supposed to be the protagonist and main figure of the story. After so many of these part-arrogant and self-centered, but part-whiny, and quite sexually ambiguous roles, it seems quite clear (if it wasn't already) that Stiller is not actually acting. For that matter few of the other voice actors in this movie are doing anything different. Instead of becoming their characters, they are making their characters become then. It's a shame because I like Stiller a lot in There's Something About Mary and thought he was the best thing about Meet the Parents.

I must say, though, that I loved the penguins. The movie needed a lot more of them. Unfortunately they were relegated to just a minor side story so that we could witness the big stars in action. As expected, there are some funny moments from Chris Rock ("You're biting my butt!") and several amusing situations, especially once they land on the (amazingly humanless) island. The doofus giraffe provides for some good slapstick as well. I think the basic premise of the story was fine and had a lot of potential, but it was almost treated as secondary to the funny gags, and the resolution was rather unsatisfying.

Overall, the film is sometimes tasty but just feels like a helping of heated up leftovers that are trying to be passed as something more. Where Pixar is creating timeless stories that can be appreciated by young children and adults alike - from the casual fans to the movie buffs and everything in between - Dreamworks is trying way too hard to please the parents. The big name stars and the flashy animation don't mean much without the story and quality script to back it up.

The Verdict: C+.

Michael Bentley 8:15 AM

"That's a nice-a donut."

Monday, May 30, 2005

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