Bored, wiped out after a Saturday shift, and with some spare cash, I decided to see a movie.
Even though I was expecting it to be mediocre at best, I decided to see Madagscar 2. I thought at least I'd get a chuckle out of the penguins and King Julien, if nothing else.
Well, the penguins and King Julien are still the funniest characters in the film. Screamingly funny, in some scenes.
But...the main characters actually seem like -characters- now. The film's prologue is a shamelessly manipulative, sentimental look at how Alex was cruelly kidnapped by poachers as a cub. How the cub began performing as a way of recapturing the affection he'd lost when taken from his parents.
It was so blatantly transparent.
And yet...it worked. Suddenly Ben Stiller's character wasn't just a Hollywood actor in a lion suit. Suddenly, there was a reason to care about Alex the Lion.
The other castaways are more or less given something to do beyond the character beats established in the first film.
The film even severely limited the pop culture reference jokes! Shocking, I know.
There are at least two sub-plots too many and some of the emotional payoffs don't quite gel, but as a whole, Madagascar 2 is a funny, diverting film that has an actual heart. I ended up liking it quite a bit.
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
I liked it too. I've been singing "I like to move it, move it" for several days now, and variations on it. The fight scenes between the old woman and the lions are funny.
Posted by Sala (Member # 8980) on :
Hubby and I enjoyed it, even without kids! I thought the producers/writers were smart to bring back the old lady. Her little gag in the first movie was one of the funniest parts, and it plays well in this movie too. "I like to move it, move it," too!
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
quote:Originally posted by steven: I liked it too. I've been singing "I like to move it, move it" for several days now, and variations on it. The fight scenes between the old woman and the lions are funny.
I just like to take this opportunity to point out that the original 1994 version of "I like to move it, move it" was sung by a The Mad Stuntman, who is from Trinidad and Tobago.
Go Trinies.
Posted by C3PO the Dragon Slayer (Member # 10416) on :
WHAZ? Dreamworks is getting good?
I thought Kung Fu Panda was an anomaly, not a turning point...
Maybe we should go see this.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Was there a lot more penguin comedy? Penguin comedy was all I really liked in the first one.
quote:From Puffy Treat: Bored, wiped out after a Saturday shift, and with some spare cash, I decided to see a movie.
That's how I felt on Friday, and I went to see Role Models, which ended up being surprisingly funny.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
The penguin bits were actually funnier in this one. Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
The penguins were hilarious, particularly the SPOILER
penguin/doll romance. That union/management negotation session had me in stitches, when the monkeys pulled out the photos of the penguin kissing the doll.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Steven, do a better job of hiding the spoiler. Most people haven't seen it yet.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)