Dec 16, 2008 01:03 PM
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(Updated Dec 16, 2008 01:08 PM)
It had been a while since I saw an animated movie in a hall, so decided to catch up with the much hyped Madagascar. Since I had not watched the first part, I cannot compare both. More so, the preview which I saw while watching Quantum of Solace appeared to be visually pleasing, and so was reason to visit the movie hall the very next time. Now, the story...
THE PLOT
Alex, the lion is the king- king of pop and can sing and dance well in Central Park Zoo in New York. His 3 friends - Marty the Zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippopotamus, all a part of Central Zoo park are heading to back to New York in a plane. This plane built by a group of penguins that form the staff and pilot, unfortunately crash-land at a jungle in Africa. And while the pilot issues orders for repair, these four travelers decide to explore the jungle. They discover other animals and introduce themselves. Each of them is happy with a newfound group of their own species. Alex by chance meets his dad Zuba, his mother Florrie and comes to know that he was kidnapped by the hunters as a child and sent to Zoo. His dad wants to see him the king of Jungle and lead other lions but for this he needs to fight a Teetsi, the most powerful lion. Our cute Alex, the pop king starts dancing than fighting and loses and much to the shame of his parents and is banished along with them to an isolated place near the jungle. Marty the Zebra who was under the perception of being special finds nothing really special about him since he does what other zebras do. Gloria, the Hippo who is all set to date finds Motu motu - the male Hippo without realizing that Melman (giraffe) is in love with her. And Melman , the heartbroken is wrongly informed of suffering from terminal illness. Add to this, the land is drying up with a want of fresh water. Besides this, Alex comes face-to-face with Nana, an old lady along with other human beings lost in jungle and is beaten black and blue by her who is ready to roast him and eat. What happens next? That is for you to watch.
THE MOVIE
This one is a sequel to Madagascar which was released in 2005. The voices are lent by:
Ben Stiller for Alex; David Schwimmer for Melman; Jada Pinkette Smith for Gloria; Chris Rock for Marty; Late Bernie Mac for Zuba and Sherrie Shepherd for Florrie. The movie is approximately 90 mts.
Eric Darnell and Tom Mc Grath who have directed the movie deserve full credit. You can feel the magic of visuals created by Dreamwork since they have a bit of 2-D as well as 3-D effect. The colours have been used with indulgence, and the attention has been given to the details. The Zebra resembles Chris Rock and Alex's mane can put any girl with beautiful hair to shame. There is a tinge of black humour -as you grow to love Alex you almost feel sorry for him when the old lady punches him hard, yet can't stop yourself from laughing. The friendship between Alex and Marty makes you feel like them being beer buddies. Initially, the wide nostriled Gloria appears to be ugly but as the film goes by, you appreciate her too.
The song “I like to move it move it” is entertaining to the core. One thing which one cannot help noticing is the expression of each character. It makes you believe that they are no less expressive than us. Not just the kids, but the movie keeps the adults interested too.
SOME SCENES WORTH WATCHING
1) When Zuba the majestic king coughs while announcing. You get attentive and all of a sudden you break into smile.
2) The mischievous penguins which frighten the human beings in the jeep and carjack their jeep.
3)The male monkeys repairing the airplane asking for maternity leave from their penguin boss.
4) Alex gets very excited when he goes to sleep in his bed which he had when he was a kid- the same old bed, the same old room, the same old hanky.
5) Marty getting annoyed with Alex for not being able to recognize amongst other exactly similar looking Zebras.
6) Alex and Zuba dancing and people cheering and clapping.
MY THOUGHTS
If you like Roadside Romeo, believe me, you are going to absolutely love this since the plot isn’t as weak as the former. There arises no comparison, yet I can’t stop comparing Romeo with Alex who is a lot cooler than Romeo. A clean entertainment, this one ends with a happy note giving the viewers a "happy happy" feeling. Watch it with your friends, your better half and kids, or if you want to catch up with some eye-pleasing animation stuff, escape to entertainment with this movie.
