A little of Column A and B

Rating: 5/10 (31 May 2013)

This has to be the hardest movie to rate as either great or terrible. The good parts are so good indeed that you can almost forgive the bad, but not quite.
Let's start with the good. A truly compelling take on an absolutely stale idea: Running away, or in this case becoming a circus. It totally mimics that old, old saying: You can't go home again. Here the twist is that none of the characters really gives a damn about the circus and are using it to get this: Go back and be another kind of performers, although using a lot less skill.
Another positive: Ben Stiller really has made Alex the Lion his own. He totally nails it every time. Although, a lot of it is based on parts he has played before, he makes it so likable
Sorry to say that every single one of the other main cast are totally wasted. Somehow, they are totally written off as individuals in this one. Chris Rock's has only one scene to shine, David Schwimmer gets nothing and Jada Smith hardly has any screen time. They all get the same recycled material that may have worked 2 other times but totally falls on its face here.
What does get a lot of attention are the new characters and some of them impressed. Bryan Cranston does a marvelous job as the tiger with the wounded ego and burned coat and Frances McDormand is of course amazing as the French Gendarme. But sorry to say, the action sequences with her are just plain ridiculous. Like the T2 in Terminator 2 only with less emotions.
Of course, the animation is top notch all the way through and that's why it is so sad that the thing is so average anyway. Also, there are way too much emphasis on making the whole thing look as cool as possible to please teens and tweens. Also, the music numbers are poorly chosen.