My Take on the Movies
A Mini-Review of
MADAGASCAR
A. L. “Toni” Anderson

I waited several weeks to view Madagascar (2005), because I could not get my 9-year-old grandson to go with me. Eventually, I decided to go by myself. A children’s movie, featuring the voice of Chris Rock, that takes place in Africa. All right!

This animated movie begins in a Manhattan zoo, and stars a group of highly domesti­cated sub-Saharan animals living in an artificial urban environment. The voices of the main four-legged stars are provided by Ben Stiller (Alex the lion), Chris Rock (Marty the zebra), Jada Pinkett Smith (Gloria the hippo), and David Schwimmer (Melman the giraffe). Cedric the Entertainer gives voice to a wild I-don’t-know-what!

Following the lead of a loony bunch of penguins, Marty pursues his desire for freedom and a return to the wild. Unable to convince his buddy Alex to accompany him, he decides to escape on his own. Through a series of improbable events, the fugitive quartet (including Gloria and Melman) ends up on the island of Madagascar (off the coast of Mozambique), where nothing is as Marty (or I) had hoped.

The native inhabitants of Madagascar appear to be a huge bunch of, well, let’s say lemurs, for whom life is a long, loud party, except for one thing. Their territory is continually being invaded by cartoon jackals (or maybe hyenas), whose sole interest in the party-goers is as the main course for a dinner party of their own. Alex’s zoo act as the “king of the jungle” comes in handy, although he is seriously outnumbered, and all’s well that ends well—sort of.

Possibly my hopes for this film were too ambitious, but is it really asking too much to have a movie about returning to Africa (even for children) actually teach us a little something? The only lesson that is apparent here is that freedom may not be all it is cracked up to be. Could this be a subliminal message, maybe? If so, it has missed its target in me. I’ll take freedom, anytime.

The film is full of vivid colors, loud sounds, and infantile humor. That combination always excites youngsters. If my grandson’s other plans fall through, he may ask me to go back. (It’s not so far-fetched; it’s happened before.) Regrettably, this time I would not be so willing. Frankly, I did not find it worth the bargain matinee price. But then, I passed 9 years old so long ago, it is difficult to count.

[© 07/16/2005]