DreamWorks’ PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR – The Review

DreamWorks’ PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR will leave kids in stitches… while older audience members are left bored, with few laughs.

The penguins of Madagascar are back with an all new adventure. Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private, along with a new group of elite operatives group called The North Wind,are on a mission,  to save the penguins of the world after the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine sets his plan of destruction into motion. A world without penguins? Oh, my!

The ‘Penguins of Madagascar’ television series seems to go over rather well, and the film does too… for children. There are funny puns that will make audiences chuckle, but for the most part I was left spiritless. Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Conrad Vernon and Christopher Knights really do work together well, and are humorous to watch (listen to) as the penguins. It would have been very easy for the studio to bump them for A-list names, but instead they went with strong voice talent. That, in my book, is terrific. There are incredible voice actors out there that are being bumped for big-screen actors… and all they do is speak how they normally speak. The craft is lost a bit. Having said that, it was fun to hear Ken Jeongas a baby seal named Short Fuse. Of course, all of the headlines list Benedict Cumberbatch (Classified) in their headlines. He was good. He didn’t impress me as much as the voices of the penguins, or John Malkovich as Dr. Octavius Brine / Dave. He brought depth to the character. He is an actor that should play with more voice work. Just sayin’.

This story was dull. Not the revenge plot. This was actually funny to me. I loved seeing the penguins interact with Dr. Octavius Brine / Dave. The whole ‘North Wind’ group threw me off. They didn’t give me enough backstory or character history to remotely care about them. They did nothing to really assist the story. They felt like time fillers. On top of that, I feel like the animation of Classified was second rate compared to the penguins. Certain parts of the film felt rushed (on the visual side). If they would have just stuck to the penguins / Dr. Octavius revenge plot it would have been much more enjoyable.

Aside from a few good puns, this film was not for me. It’s not for adults. This is a children’s movie. The kids in my screening were laughing hysterically. The adults… not so much.

OVERALL RATING : 2 out of 5 stars

For More Info: www.MadagascarMovie.com

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PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR OPENS IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE NOVEMBER 26