MOOVIE REVIEW : MADAGASCAR : ESCAPE 2 AFRICA (2008 - English)

MOVIE REVIEW : MADAGASCAR : ESCAPE 2 AFRICA (2008 - English)

Category : Animation, Adventure, Comedy / Starring : Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Alec Baldwin, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric The Entertainer, Will.i.am 

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One thing about the trailer that caught our attention was the good old tune of I Like To Move It (originally sung by Reel 2 Real in 1994), with the cute cartoon characters moving to it. Plus, all of us had a great laugh with the movie's predecessor in 2005.

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The group of New Yorker friends are all in for another wild, hillarious adventure, Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the Zebra (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett-Smith).

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Stranded on the desolate coast of Madagascar, the group hops on a crazy plan to fly out on an old crashed plane fixed by the penguins. Obviously, the plane only manages to fly them for a short while before they find themselves crashing into an entirely new territory, the vast plains of Africa.

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As we know these New Yorkers have been bred and raised in the concrete jungle of the modern zoo, for the first time they find themselves face to face with their own kind. Marty has the biggest blow when he realizes he is not the only one with stripes, and he's no longer uniquely one of a kind.

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While each of them sets out inidivudally on their path of discovering their roots in the wilderness of Africa, some friendships get tested (Alex and Marty), some find the chance of romance (Gloria), some are pushed to face their own biggest fears (Melman), and some for the first time realize the only gift they ever knew of is actually a mere shame to the clan (Alex).

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Most of the testimonials I heard we pretty satisfactory, only that they preferred the first instalment. Funny is the main essence of this movie, and the characters made it work. This is a good ensemble, Stiller, Rock (although I generally find him rather irritating as an entertainer), Schwimmer and Pinkett-Smith were great in the first Madagascar, and they continue to do so in the Escape 2 Africa.

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I also find the King Julien (Cohen) quite hillarious, although most found him annoying LOL The articulated and highly sophisticated penguins are as usual a treat to watch, with their military masterplans, and the old lady adds a new spice to the movie's jokes. To me I would grade Escape 2 Africa as good as its predecessor, probably the wow factor seemed better first time round, as it was still all new to viewers.

Madagascar Escape 2 Africa_Ben Stiller The Voice of Alex The Lion

Madagascar Escape 2 Africa_Chris Rock The Voice of Marty The Zebra

Madagascar Escape 2 Africa_David Schwimmer The Voice of Melman The Giraffe

Madagascar Escape 2 Africa_Jada Pinkett-Smith The Voice Of Gloria The Hippo

Madagascar Escape 2 Africa_Alec Baldwin The Voice of Makunga The Lion

Rather than showing the movie trailer, I decided to post here the music video of the addictive I Like To Move It:-

Rating : B