Penguins of Madagascar Review

Here is another addition to DreamWorks Animation's plethora of colorful and kid-friendly animated pictures. I always think of them as the little brother to Pixar Studios, who is still miles ahead of any other animation company in terms of their films. DreamWorks has made some movies that I think are just as good as some of Pixar's stuff like the original Shrek, the Kung Fu Panda films, and the two How to Train Your Dragon movies. However, the majority of their films are good, just not on the level that Pixar has reached time and again. I'd put Penguins of Madagascar squarely in the latter category; it is sure to entertain kids and also adults to some extent, but it won't leave any kind of lasting impression.

Personally, I always thought that the penguins Skipper, Rico, Kowalski, and Private were the best parts of the Madagascar movies. I just never thought they had enough time on screen. Now, that problem is resolved, as they got their own 90-minute movie to do their shtick. Penguins of Madagascar delivers exactly what most reasonable people were expecting from it. It's not a groundbreaking addition to the animation genre, nor is it trash. It's a perfectly diverting hour and a half for kids to be delighted and the adults taking them to have a pretty good time as well.

The voice cast for the film has some pretty big names on it. Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, and Conrad Vernon lend their voices for the penguins themselves. You may not recognize those names, but they do a great job. One of the names you'd recognize is John Malkovich as Dave, a purple squid who is also the main antagonist. He doesn't phone in his performance, which I appreciated. Much like Liam Neeson in The LEGO Movie, he actually sounded like he wanted to be there, which made it more enjoyable to listen to him. The voice of Benedict Cumberbatch also appears as Agent Classified, the leader of an elite undercover agency that helps out animals who are in danger. Having Cumberbatch in your movie is always a good thing. Ken Jeong also makes an appearance.

Penguins of Madagascar is relentlessly fast-paced. There is not one moment to breathe for the entirety of its 90-minute run time. The jokes and gags come fast, maybe too fast at times. What I mean by that is sometimes the audience laughed at something that was pretty funny, but a much better joke came right after the one they were laughing at. They didn't catch the second one because the theater was packed, so if the entire audience laughs, it is difficult to hear the film. So, I chuckled at the first joke, but because I was quiet during the second one, I heard it and laughed louder at it. All this is to say, I found myself being the only one in the theater laughing on occasion because everyone else had missed the joke. That wouldn't be a problem if you were watching alone, but it is something minor that I noticed.

The animation is as colorful and frenetic as the script. I wouldn't call anything I saw dazzling, but all the animation was appealingly done, and there weren't any moments when I noticed a hiccup in the visuals. The film was well-done on that front.

The life lessons that the film inevitably attempts to relay to its younger audiences is nothing we haven't heard before. I wasn't blown away by the film's wisdom or anything. That being said, there were one or two moments involving Private that I found quite sweet. Sweet in that kids' movie kind of way.

All in all, Penguins of Madagascar is an entertaining, if forgettable animated film that kids will probably enjoy very much. You don't need to fret taking them though, as it makes sure to throw in some humor that adults will appreciate as well. It doesn't match up to some of 2014's finest animated fare like The LEGO Movie and How to Train Your Dragon 2, but it's a good choice for the whole family during this holiday weekend.

B-