IMDb user comments for
Madagascar (2005) More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 37:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Index

364 comments in total

---

114 out of 164 people found the following comment useful :-
Madagascar - a great ride!, 29 May 2005

Author: canuckteach from Ontario

Lots of fun - I saw it with the grandkids and a theater full of families. a great time was had by all. technically speaking, one might say that the story was 'uneven' in places (can you say *that* about animated films? (-:) -- I mention this because there has been some needlessly negative feedback here at IMDb. On the whole, though, the presentation is quick-paced, bright, happy, and delightful to the eyes and ears. There are also some unique, quirky scenes (i.e. animals nonchalantly getting on a subway?) - I love to see stuff I haven't seen before. that's not easy to do, you know - by all accounts, "everything has been done on film already.." - (if you catch my drift). so, give credit when due! enjoy!(-:

---

84 out of 117 people found the following comment useful :-
I've Seen Better And Worse. Overall, It Is A Decent Kids Movie That Can Hold Adults Attention As Well., 7 June 2005
Author: BraveHawk from United States

Let's face it, it's hard to put out a good animation movie that is equal to Shrek, The Incredibles or Finding Nemo. Those are hard movies to follow but Madagascar is by no means a bad movie. In fact, I will still rate this pretty high, as I enjoyed it without watching the clock.

The plot was very easy for children to follow while not so simplistic that adults become bored in the middle. The simple plot was that 4 animals raised in a zoo venture out into the wild and quickly realize how easy they had it back home in the New York Zoo.

There was quite a few humorous scenes in Madagascar, but my favorite has to be the "distinguished" chimps who get offended that the thought of looking or smelling like a monkey is bad. An honorable mention is the penguins who also got more than they bargained for in Antarctica.

While some of the graphics are sub-par to other movies I've mentioned, like Alex the Lion (voiced by Ben Stiller) for instance. At times they look sort of like clay-mation or something, and other they look positively life-like. The scenery and the lemurs stand out as the most beautifully rendered parts of the movie.

This movie is great for getting the kids out of the house and not too bad if the normal adult wants to get away and enjoy something more suitable for the family as well.

---

111 out of 181 people found the following comment useful :-
It's no "Shrek" or "Finding Nemo" but it's worth the $8.25, 30 May 2005

Author: originalcrystaltm from United States

I could not disagree with those who are calling this movie boring more. Is it a perfect movie? No. But it is fun, fast-paced, and highly entertaining. A theater full of children laughed almost non-stop, and even my husband (who honestly wanted to see the latest "Star Wars" movie) grudgingly admitted it was pretty good.

The plot is basic: four animals must try to survive in the wild, and along the way learn more about themselves. But the visuals are hilarious, the music is fun, and the interludes with the psychotic penguins? Priceless.

The only part of this movie I disliked was the casting of David Schwimmer. Although he did a fine job, the entire time I felt distracted by his voice- I was reminded too much of his Ross character from "Friends." So, don't go expecting an Oscar-worthy film, or even the next "Shrek." Instead, go to enjoy a piece of indulgent yet funny animation that will keep you laughing.

---

57 out of 87 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun movie for the family, 2 June 2005

Author: ArizWldcat from Ogden UT

There are so few movies that you can enjoy as a family, so perhaps I've given this more stars than it deserves. I did laugh out loud several times. The jokes are mostly "pop culture" references; for example, (the zebra (Chris Rock) has a treadmill in his area (not a cage, really) at the zoo.

This is sort of a twist on the fish out of water movies, as the zoo animals, according to the local animal rights activists, don't belong in the zoo; they are shipped off to Africa. Hilarity ensues; the animals don't end up at the planned destination and find out that they don't necessarily belong in the wild either. What I found unique about this movie is that for once, the actual nature of the animal is acknowledged. Ben Stiller's lion character realizes that everyone looks like a steak and wants to eat everyone. Of course, he realizes that he's "wrong" (HUH??) and tries to change. The kids loved it, I wasn't totally bored out of my mind, and the animation was pretty good, I thought. The penguins were especially cute. Wish they'd had more screen time.

---

36 out of 49 people found the following comment useful :-
A nice surprise, 14 June 2005

Author: Simon Mann from Sydney, Australia

The mood you're in when you see a movie has a big impact on how much you enjoy it. I saw this in a cinema packed with young families and it went down well. I laughed a lot, so did my kids, and so did the cinema. I explained to my daughter that pansy meant softy, so I even felt useful.

Having young children means I have sat through quite a lot of this genre, and the use of computers in animation makes things a little over-refined. I seem to be the only person who finds Pixar movies too polished, faultless, and stale. This film can be abrupt and patchy, but in my opinion that makes it more spontaneous.

The movie looks great, the penguins are funny, the king is funny, and the pace and energy are good. About 90 minutes is also the correct length. The plot may be thin but the survival concepts that pepper the movie are good intellectual fodder for children.

---

122 out of 221 people found the following comment useful :-
It was OK, 28 May 2005

Author: zenstain from United States

Moderately funny movie. Decent lines, some funny moments. I have to admit I liked Ali G as the king lemur singing "Move It" as did my 7 and 4 year olds. Some funny visuals as well (won't spoil those here) but this movie is nowhere in the league of Shrek or the better Disney stuff, and certainly not as funny as the highlight reel that was the trailer being shown for the last couple of weeks on television. If you haven't gone yet, you might want to wait until it hits your local second-run discount theater, or just rent it because as another poster mentioned, it is in no way worth spending $50+ for a family of four. And the poster who gave it a 10-star review, along with his blathering drivel of a review ("reel" indeed, ugh) is an obvious studio plant, pay it no mind.

---

49 out of 76 people found the following comment useful :-
Very funny, 13 June 2005

Author: larimeramy from United States

I took my 8 yr old daughter and a friend of hers to see the movie last weekend. We had a blast. The humor is one of Dreamworks best. It was sutle enough on some of the jokes that the younger kids did not catch on but you could hear the adults chuckling.

My personal favorite was Melmen. He was very funny and I think that everyone can relate to knowing someone like that. (Sick all the time)

I would not recommend kids under the age of 6 to see it though. Their where quite a few little ones in the theater and all you heard was "what are they doing now? Why are people laughing?" etc.

A lot of fun and a lot of laughs. We will definitely own this when it comes out on DVD.

---

80 out of 140 people found the following comment useful :-
So Much Could Have Happened on This Island..., 1 June 2005

Author: T1Thousand from Miramar, FL

Okay. Here we go. Before watching this film, if you read what it is going to be about, you will find something that could be promising. Four animals that are close friends in a zoo end up being stranded in the wild where one of them--the lion--finds out that it is his nature to hunt down the other three. Now that makes a good story! But the thing is that the story barely even touched on that. It seemed to go nowhere and throughout the time that I watched this, I felt as if it were still beginning and we were being introduced to the characters, including the ones that later come into play. I didn't feel as if the peak of the plot was ever reached because I started thinking: What is the plot? Where is this movie trying to go? Nothing really happens. This film is like a large introduction that never really goes anywhere. It barely touches the middle of the story when it suddenly ends. A big hole was certainly there when the credits came up. A lot could have been done with this story. We also never really connect with any of the characters. They are just there. The voices are done well and they really match with the characters, but that's mostly it. There is not a lot of character development. But the good news is that many kids will enjoy this. There is plenty of light humor, especially with the penguins who steal the show most of the time. There are cute parts and the visuals are all right. This is no Shrek and it is a little below Shark Tale in my opinion. Dreamworks could have had a much better film. So much more could have happened on this island, but alas we were only introduced to it and nothing else. No, this movie is not horribly bad, but it is not very good either. I give it an average at best. It is watchable but that is it for me. The story was handled too weakly. This movie really had potential. But hey, at least the kids most likely will enjoy it =)

5.8/10 Stars

---

23 out of 33 people found the following comment useful :-
Lived Up To Good Reputation - Funny, Colorful, 25 January 2007

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

Here's another recently-made animated film that has two outstanding characteristics which make it a winner: 1 - consistently funny humor that adults can enjoy, and 2 - beautiful, bold colors.

When a movie is both fun to hear and to watch, I have very few complaints. This movie provides a lot of enjoyment with more jokes perhaps that adults would laugh at than the kids. I can't say that for sure, since I watched it by myself....but I sure got my share of laughs

This is a tale of four zoo animals that wind up in the wilds. To be more precise, they go from the big zoo in New York City to the wilds of Madagascar, an island near Africa. Wherever these "guys" are - the lion, zebra, hippo and giraffe - they are entertaining.

Ben Stiller and Chris Rock, voicing the lion ("Alex") and zebra ("Marty"), respectively, are the two main characters. Jada Pinkett Smith's hippo ("Gloria") and and David Schwimmer's hypochondriac giraffe ("Melman") provide solid support. The main thing is that all the characters, including supporting ones, are likable and funny in their own way. Every character is quite different. The story movies exceptionally fast so the hour-and-a-half is easy to watch.

Maybe the best thing I can say is that I heard a lot of good things about this before watching it, and it lived up to its hype. That's not easy to do.

---

51 out of 89 people found the following comment useful :-
Loved it!, 6 June 2005

Author: sindarinelfmaiden from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is a children's' movie. I think people keep forgetting that when they review it. Kids would LOVE this movie. I am an adult and I went with my adult sister and we were just howling with laughter the whole time. There were a few science fiction movie jokes in there that almost killed me dead laughing. I think kids would love the animals. They were cute but not cutesey. Ben Stiller's voice was perfect for the silly lion character. Chris Rock didn't say anything too shocking. The animated scenery was beautiful. The characters were all good. It was jam packed full of humor and grooviness. A lot of the imagery reminded me of groovy retro stuff. (I'm partial to groovy retro stuff.) I think you should make up your own mind whether to see it or not instead of reading reviews. Wink wink nudge nudge. Cheers

---

---

Page 1 of 37:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Ratings	Awards
Newsgroup reviews	External reviews	Parents Guide
Official site	Plot keywords	Main details
Your user comments	Your vote history