The title would be a quote from Madagascar, specifically from the penguins which made the movie worth watching. Today we went on a family outing to see the sequel at a matinee showing. It had to be done since my daughter had been asking about it and/or had the opportunity to see it held over her head since Friday (she’s been in a funk recently – not listening, snapping and throwing things when she doesn’t get her way – picture teenage angst mixed with ADHD in a 5-year-old body). So with the kids eager to go, we head to the theater. By the time we get there my daughter changes her mind about seeing it as she started mixing up Madagascar and The Wild in her mind (if I thought it was a sequel to The Wild, I wouldn’t want to go either). But we straightened her out and again we are good to go.
The movie was pretty good – in some ways it was better than the first. They managed to keep 3 to 4 plotlines running concurrently and bring them all together nicely in the end. The first had a pretty linear story arc – animals escape the zoo, get sent away, crash land in Madagascar and try to find balance and unity against adversity. In part 2, they not only move the story forward, but they reach back into the past as well. There is an arc involving Alex the Lion’s return to his parents and reconcile this relationship. There is an arc involving Gloria figuring out what is important in a relationship. There is an arc with the penguins and the monkeys working on solving their transit options. And there is even an arc involving the humans affected by the actions of the animals at hand.
There was plenty of humor and action for all ages to enjoy – including the adults who will have to take their kids to see it. And the new voice talent was aptly chosen (Alex Baldwin should definitely do more voice acting). But they seemed to gloss over an issue that seemed central to the prequel – food. The group of zoo animals find themselves in a wildlife preserve with many others of each of their kind, but there doesn’t seem to be any fear of the lions by the herbivores on this preserve. Since this issue was such a hot one with Alex when they were stuck on the island before, it is hard to ignore the fact that it was ignored in this movie all together.
In all, the positive outways the negative. All the favorites were back and in character. Bernie Mac played well in one of his last roles and Alex Baldwin was great as the antagonist. While I appreciate Sasha Baron Cohen’s humor, his part felt a bit annoying this time around. But he played an important part in the plot, so I will forgive it. If you have kids, take them to see it. If you don’t, you can still go see it if you want, but I’d either go with a late show or just wait for the DVD.