With The Voices Of: Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, Conrad Vernon, John Malkovich, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Jeong, Annet Mahendru, Peter Stormare, Andy Richter
Directed By: Eric Darnell and Simon J Smith
I’ll be honest and say that the Madagascar films have never really been my thing. Honestly, I’ve always thought they were so-so, not very funny, and I couldn’t understand why they kept making more. Penguins Of Madagascar seemed like just another drop in the bucket for Dreamworks, and I think everyone agreed (which is why it tanked at the box office). I was wrong. This spinoff is actually better than any of the three films originally from the Madagascar series. Not many people will get a chance to see that, apparently, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.
In a year that was weak for Dreamworks, they ended up with decent films that no one really wanted to watch. Kinda like Turbo. There’s nothing wrong with their films, it’s just that expectations are so high for them to match Disney, that when they don’t… it’s a flop. Penguins Of Madagascar launches the four penguins from the original series (who also have their own TV series) into their own movie. It’s an origin story, mostly, as it shows how they band together and work as some kind of secret spy agency who work for themselves. There’s a cute sub-story here where Skipper basically rescues Private and Private is always trying to prove himself worthy of being on the team. Spoiler Alert: He eventually does.
It’s a cute film for kids to watch, and sometimes we have to remember that these films really are aimed at kids and not to take them so seriously. It’s a good film for the whole family. It’s not gonna move mountains, or be remembered in 50 years, but it’s a cute movie if you’re looking for something to do for 90 minutes.
FINAL GRADE: B+
