Madagascar 3 was better.

Rating: 6/10 (16 April 2020)

I wanted to watch this movie after the great hype for it a while ago and finally got around to it.
First things first, I am disappointed and I somehow endured the strength to watch the entirety of the film.
The film jumps too quickly from event to event making it difficult to get invested into the story and characters. Within the first 20 minutes of the film we had watched Hugh Jackmans character fall in love, his dad pass away, grow into an adult, get married, have kids and buy a wax museum which turned into an extremely successful circus. Literally, all in a matter of minutes! This would have been so much more intriguing and feel more relatable if we were given a deep dive into the characters inner thoughts. This would've been a masterful idea if the entirety of the movie was of Hugh Jackmans characters struggle and the growth of his circus. Along with the growth of more characters where the audience can relate and feel empathy for them. This brings me to my next point:
While the focus was definitely on Hugh Jackmans character, we are given many other great characters who are just brushed over. We meet the wife, Zac Efrons character, Hugh Jackmans 'kids', the critic and all of the many interesting freaks. For example. For Zendayas character, all we really know about her is that she is a talented trapeze artist, she performs with her brother and she's black. Her relationship with Zac Efrons character takes a rather large portion in the film being a cause of difficulty for them both as their traditional society despises their love. This story concept was fantastic, yet wildly overdone. This could've been great though if we had learnt about each character in more detail and if the movie didn't have so many other plots overlaying!
Although, the film did have its downsides. The visuals were absolutely breathtaking and gave me goosebumps multiple occasions. Along with the brilliant performances by the stellar cast! Not just their acting, but the dancing, the singing. They nailed it all without a doubt.
Obviously, this is a high budget film and mainly directed towards children and their short attention span. They definitely win the competition for 'how many songs can we fit in 105 minutes.' I believe the film had definitely been overhyped, even by people my own age!
Considering that this is also based off a true historical figure, P T Barnum and his circus accomplishments (which I am now quite intrigued to look into I must say). They did do a really great job which I applaud them for.
Also, the end circus performance gave me Madagascar 3 vibes which I love!!! Lol