'Penguins of Madagascar' Review

Penguins of Madagascar review:

Meh

BY IAN TAN

Because a TV series wasn’t enough, the Penguins of Madagascar finally get their very own movie, courtesy of the people at DreamWorks Animation. Gone are Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria and in are Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private. The four penguins were a nice surprise in the original Madagascar films, stealing and chewing scenery every time they appeared on-screen. However, as much as they worked in the few scenes they had in the Madagascar films, they just don’t seem big enough to earn a movie of their own, much like how I still don’t think having a solo Minions (of Despicable Me) movie is a good idea. I mean, these films are just Hollywood cash-grabs anyway.

In this film, the titular Penguins are on a mission to stop a revenge-driven octopus from kidnapping and mutating all penguins around the globe. Yes, the plot does sound pretty ridiculous, and a little like that of Despicable Me 2.

I actually quite liked the first Madagascar film, and I honestly thought that the penguins were the best part of it, much like how I, and many others, felt that the Minions were the highlight of the Despicable Me movies. However, as the Madagascar film series continued to its second and third instalments, I began to lose interest in the films. In fact, I was even less interested to see this one. With that being said, how does Penguins of Madagascar fare?

"Hey guys, anyone else find it funny that we all sound and speak like adults?"

Well, it felt pretty mediocre to me, even with my low expectations. There are a number of good things to point out in the film, of course. For one, the voice casting is pretty solid, with the voice actors of the Penguins really getting a chance to shine as characters in this film more so than in previous ones. Private, the youngest member of the team, is especially more developed as a character here, and provides the film with some of its most heartfelt moments, which is a plus. The dialogue is also witty and face-paced, and I can see why children would love it. There are a couple of celebrity references thrown in to Dave’s (voiced by John Malkovich) dialogue, which was a nice little touch. There’s also one sequence where the Penguins jump from one flying aeroplane to another that I can imagine would be a joy to watch in 3D. In addition to that, the inclusion of North Wind, an undercover inter-species task force led by Classified (yeah, that’s his name, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) is a nice addition to the roster of Madagascar characters, even though they don’t get as much screen time or character development as hoped for. Benedict Cumberbatch seems to be having fun with his role as the wolf Classified, and it’s always fun to know when actors enjoy the roles they play, or in this case, voice.

Benedict Cumberbatch and his posse of animal pals

Of course, Penguins of Madagascar doesn't come without a few disappointing parts. One of which is that the end of the film can be easily predicted within the first ten minutes of dialogue, with obvious and generic character arcs and backstories given to the titular characters. Also, the plot and action sequences that tie the story together, although nicely animated, are a bit too over-the-top and (I hate to say this, but) childish. Combine that with a plot so ridiculous that it could’ve just been downgraded to an episode for the TV series, and you have a movie that kids would probably love, but one that teens and adults would just roll their eyes over.

In totality, Penguins of Madagascar is great fun for kids, but not so much for teens and adults. It’s witty and filled with some neat action sequences that would look great if seen in 3D, but I’d much rather recommend you go see Big Hero 6 a second time instead of watching this film.

"We gotta catch that plane"

Final Verdict

Penguins of Madagascar gets 6.3 out of 10 stars – Here’s to hoping the Minions solo film will be better.