Running the circuit

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2012)

The penguins and monkeys construct a flying machine only to venture out to Europe, where they indulge into a Monaco grifting binge at casinos. Alex (Ben Stiller), Marty (Chris Rock), Melman (David Schwimmer) and Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) left behind still dream about returning to the Big Apple, hence inexplicably plan to catch up with their friends going ape on European soil. After swimming across the Mediterranean in true cartoonish fashion, the quartet plus King Julien and his entourage, happen upon the ingenious penguin / monkey brigade, but cause havoc in the meantime. This causes sinister French animal catcher Captain Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand), dreaming of capturing the head of the ultimate prize: a lion, to be called into action. After a courageous escape the expanded group of animals catch a ride with a decrepit circus full of various high-flying, hoop-jumping animals.
A much improved outing than the somewhat contrived first sequel, does a pretty decent balancing act on a high sky tightrope, where dramatic elements hold together the whole act comprising of new characters and the exposition of the best from the old animal crew. Naturally penguins, distinguished chimps and ego-maniacal lemurs get they fair share of screen time, but they are enhanced by a selection of great circus mammals, starting from a Russian tiger capable of the impossible (literally) and ending with belligerent little pooches, each with their nice character quirks. Meanwhile the supposed foursome which make up the heroes of the franchise take a back seat in proceedings. Thankfully, as Alex lacks any true impression, while Chris Rock's frantic exuberance as Marty is mostly just achingly irritating. Melman and Gloria as generally likable, but almost invisible with no true impact on the story, apart from them working out a circus act together.
Nonetheless this crazy and chaotic sequel is a far cry from its tired predecessor, inflaming life into characters and highlighting its strongest traits with a no-holds-barred approach. All in all the film is a wacky pleasure to behold, despite the apparently flimsy narrative to follow, more working out like random goofs and gags, which fit together to create a grand picture heading to a big final prank. Thankfully the script manages to never overwork the premise or overuse their most intriguing characters. Managing to avoid a simple rehash (as in "Madagascar 2") this part invigorated interest in the franchise with a host of new animals sure to endear themselves to the public and probably increasing the shelf life by at least one more movie venture into the universe and more Penguins series to boot. The story itself, despite being somewhat basic and predictable (dealing with recognisable issues of friendship and trust), holds the proceedings together, despite the rampant wildness of infectious humour, which is sure to imbue an honest chuckle more often than not. Definitely a movie which is sure to entertain both young and old, albeit moments of laughter are sure to differ depending on age groups.
Surprisingly must say I enjoyed the movie much more than the original and is a rare example of a movie, which manages to focus on what works and remolding what doesn't to deliver an improvement on both the original and its sequel.