Predictable humour

Rating: 4/10 (25 July 2005)

Ho hum...another kiddie-flick serving as a vehicle to show off how far CGI has progressed since the last kiddie-flick. OK yes, the CGI is, as you'd expect these days, stunning, and the film is probably worth watching for that aspect alone if you're into that sort of stuff. As to the non-CGI aspects of the film, it's a rather tedious affair with predictable humour and uninspired dialogue. Not even close to the wit and originality of your average Bugs Bunny or Roadrunner cartoon (of course, those were brilliant so I suppose that's an unfair comparison, since no one these days seems able to write with that level of flair or originality). I find when viewing these sorts of films that it helps to imagine what they would be like if the images were all hand-drawn as in the pre-computer days. Would the film still hold your interest? In most cases, no. Still, Madagascar is probably a good way to entertain the kids for an hour and a bit, but you should probably bring along some mental baggage of your own to keep your mind occupied, since this film won't do it for you.