Saturday, August 15, 2015

Penguins of Madagascar


RATING: B-

DreamWorks Animation has had their moments (How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda), and they've also had their not so good moments. Shrek the Third comes to mind as a film from the studio that was awful (especially following a decent first couple of films). However, probably the worst franchise to come from the studio was Madagascar. 

The fact that Madagascar has lasted for three movies (and possibly a fourth) is pretty shameful. The characters were mediocre, the plots were a joke, and the second one reeked of political correctness. (I haven't even bothered to watch the third.) However, the one saving grace of those movies was the penguins. Hilarious comic relief, and yet there wasn't enough of them. So when I saw they were getting their own movie, I was interested. 

To be honest, I never even really memorized the names of the penguins during the Madagascar movies, but we have Skipper, the leader; Kowalski, the tall one; Private, the short one; and Rico, the... other one. Here in this film, they end up coming face-to-face with an evil octopus named Dave who has evil plans for penguins, and end up having to team with an "elite" animal force group called the North Wind, led by a slightly egotistical wolf. 

The good news about Penguins of Madagascar is that it gets most right of what the Madagascar films got wrong. The penguins are funny as ever. The plot, while nothing to write home about, is acceptable. The dialogue is hilarious, with various references to actors and other movies hidden in the script. The jokes avoid getting tasteless (with a couple exceptions).

One thing that will likely keep the adults interested is the inclusion of John Malkovich and Benedict Cumberbatch in voicing roles. Malkovich steals the show as well as Dave the Octopus, and you have to wonder if the character was created with him in mind. Cumberbatch, on the other hand, feels less suited for his role as the wolf leader of the North Wind. (Maybe he should just stick to live-action.) 

As a whole, the movie is surprisingly frenetic--stuff happens, and the film hardly gives you time to catch your breath (especially during the climax). At times, it feels like what could be expected from one of those popcorn action films (Fast & Furious, for example--which makes sense, considering physics is often nonexistent in this film), only now it's for kids. It feels a lot like a roller-coaster ride at times. 

Overall, Penguins of Madagascar isn't a classic, but much like Puss In Boots did with the Shrek franchise, the spin-off film actually manages to outdo its original films *easily.* Helped out by some clever hilarity, surprisingly exciting action scenes, and John Malkovich, this film is well worth seeing whether you watched the Madagascar films or not (and I recommend against seeing them--and if you must, stop after the first one). Although it may be a little too ridiculous and fast-paced for some, it can be best described as fun entertainment--and really, we can't ask too much more of it.

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