You seen one, and you've seen them all.

Rating: 6/10 (20 January 2006)

You've probably seen many of DreamWorks films before, such as Shrek, Ice Age and Shark Tale. If you've seen those, than you have seen this. Even if you haven't watched it yet, you already have "seen it." Why? The answer is simple. Madagascar seems to be similar to just about every other DreamWorks film. I'll explain.
The film starts out loud, lively and colorful. That is the beginning of nearly every DreamWorks film. Then, we are introduced to the characters: Marty, Alex, Melman and Gloria. Alex is a loud, obnoxious and self-centered lion, and that seems to resemble Donkey from Shrek. Melman is a giraffe who is sick, just about all the time. Gloria is a hippo who seems like the stereotype of a character that Whoopi Goldberg always plays. Lastly, Marty is a zebra who wishes of escaping.
One day, something happens with the penguins trying to escape. Then, something else happens when the animals board a ship, and it crashes onto Madagascar. I think I forgot most of that segment, but whatever. Anyways, the four find themselves on an island with lemurs and other primates.
So, back to what I was saying. It's a film that starts out lively and colorful. The characters have celebrity voice talents. The film is an adventure film. Near the middle, two of the characters don't trust each other. The ending is predictable. The film has many, many references to other movies.
An adventure film with two characters who mistrust each other was an idea that has been used for Shrek, Ice Age and Shark Tale. (Except, Shark Tale isn't adventure.) So, Madagascar ends up looking like a forgettable DreamWorks film that was copied from the above three. Plus the moment of drama was used many times before this in other computer animated films, including "Toy Story."
Also, the jokes simply aren't too funny. Well, the film does have a couple decent laughs, but not too many to redeem itself.
6/10
Good: Lively and (oftentimes) funny due to the animation and voices
Bad: Seems to be ripped-off of other DreamWorks films
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