'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa' reviewed

"Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" DreamWorks Rating: 1 star (out of 4)

Coming from the respected DreamWorks animation studios that created "Shrek," it's hard to believe "Madagascar" was such a poor film. It's even harder to believe the studio continued the movie with an unwanted sequel - something of which Hollywood is fond. While the first film had a poor story, it still had its funny moments. "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" continues the trend, with an even worse script and without the amusing scenes.

"Madagascar 2" boasts a brilliant cast that includes stars like Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Sacha Baron Cohen and the late Bernie Mac. The script would have benefited if these comedians had put in their own jokes rather than relying on those written for them.

The sequel starts where the four zoo animals left off in their adventure to get back home from Madagascar. Unfortunately, their plan backfires and they end up in their ancestral land, Africa. The story is predictable, with the four characters meeting species of their kind, and with Alex (Stiller) having to earn his position as the alpha lion. However, the movie hits rock bottom when it makes an obvious attempt to imitate "The Lion King" by portraying a feud between Alex's father (Mac) and a rival lion (Alec Baldwin), who resembles Scar.

The biggest flaw is the script. Writer Etan Cohen - not to be mistaken as the famous Ethan Coen ("No Country for Old Men") - is completely lost and unable to establish any concrete ideas in the storyline. There is no originality in the plot, and the bond between the four major characters is weak compared to the original. At the same time, the two directors, Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, should also receive much of the blame. While "Madagascar" featured many memorable characters, those in the sequel seem flat and boring, making the movie much less interesting to watch.

The four protagonists, voiced by Stiller, Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith, cannot save the movie. The sequel features many of the characters from the original - the penguins continue to be a source of genuine comedy with their sidetrack story and King Julien (Sacha Baron Cohen) is the only character who earns any praise. All his sequences are truly entertaining and his droll accent is superb, creating one of the few noteworthy characters in the movie.

After the dreadful 90 minutes, "Madagascar 2" meets expectations, however low they may be. Let's hope DreamWorks won't consider a trilogy. Sadly, the zoo animals' search for home ends fruitlessly, and their search for humor ends equally empty-handed this time around.

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