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Movies / On DVD / Madagascar
Madagascar

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Madagascar (2005)

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Reviews Counted:179

Fresh:98

Rotten:81

Average Rating:6/10

Consensus: A solid if unspectacular CGI flick.

Rated: U [See Full Rating] for mild language, crude humor and some thematic elements.

Runtime: 86 mins

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:15-07-2005

Synopsis: The friendship between a New York City lion and zebra is tested when fate brings them out to the unforgiving wilderness in this computer-animated DreamWorks feature. Chris Rock does the voice of... The friendship between a New York City lion and zebra is tested when fate brings them out to the unforgiving wilderness in this computer-animated DreamWorks feature. Chris Rock does the voice of Marty the Zebra, whose longing to explore beyond his cushy Central Park Zoo boundaries is the impetus that ultimately strands him and his pals on the shores of savage Madagascar. Marty loves the new, edible scenery, but his best friend Alex (voiced by Ben Stiller) the Lion begins to starve since his diet of thick steaks has been cut off, and the rump of his friend starts to look mighty tasty. Their other friends, a hypochondriac giraffe (David Schwimmer) and a sassy hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), try their best to think of a solution as the call of the wild slowly turns the starving Alex into Marty's worst nightmare. Meanwhile the hilariously self-aggrandizing King of the Ocelots (Sacha Cohen) has a plan to use Marty to repel their own carnivore problem. This kid-oriented comedy stays adult-friendly every step of the way thanks to a clever script that mixes New Yorker humor and even some existentialism in with the pratfalls and spit-takes. Jolts of comedic brilliance are supplied by some Arctic-bound escaped con penguins, and a couple of literary apes. It's not a musical, but classic songs from the likes of Louis Armstrong and Sammy Davis Jr. keep the montages flowing loose and sassy. [More]

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter

Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath

Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Screenwriter: Mark Burton, Tom McGrath, Billy Frolick, Eric Darnell
Producer: Mireille Soria
Composer: Hans Zimmer
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Madagascar

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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Doesn’t really live up to the promise that the idea and voice talent deserve. But it’s still spirited, amiable, featherweight summer fun.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/07/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Lame scatalogical gags and worn pop-culture parodies abound, but the CGI animation romp is somewhat redeemed by the scene-stealing appearances of several supporting characters.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Amiably entertaining.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/11/08
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film
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Better than Shark Tale but still leagues away from the brilliance of the first Shrek.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
07/18/05
Joe Utichi
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus

Brightly coloured but poorly thought out and generally disappointing comedy, despite the odd funny moment.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
07/16/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Highly recommended for kids and adults.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
06/07/05
Paul Arendt
Paul Arendt
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Gleefully entertaining fluff with absolutely no depth at all.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
06/04/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

I wanted a moral to the story. In Finding Nemo: Don't let fear rule your life. Shrek: True beauty is on the inside. Madagascar: Don't eat your friends?

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment 2 Comments
09/27/06
Camerin Courtney
Camerin Courtney
Christianity Today

The movie is like a doughnut, with frosting on the edges and a big hole in the middle.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
05/26/05
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No king of the jungle, just a loud piece of light summer family fluff.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
05/27/05
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
06/04/05
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Feels as if it has been created from an animator's template.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
07/05/05
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Like many computer-animated features, this one, about four animals exiled from the Central Park Zoo, expends most of its imaginative resources on clever visuals.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/26/05
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film never gets going. It's too slow and plodding for kids.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
05/26/05
Allison Benedikt
Allison Benedikt
Chicago Tribune

Get used to this phrase: “The penguins are psychotic.”

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
05/18/05
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

...Whenever the film seems in danger of getting bland, [Baron Cohen's] scenes kick it up to another level

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
05/27/05
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

This endearing character piece offers animal high jinks for youngsters, plus pop culture humor and lushly composed animation for adults.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
05/27/05
Angel Cohn
Angel Cohn
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Madagascar: story stretched thin. Animated adventure works for kids.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
05/27/05
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

Madagascar is great good fun, not only because the filmmakers have enlisted some wonderful voice talent but also because the visuals truly are marvelous.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
05/27/05
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

Rental material, at best.

Full Review Source: Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah) | comment Comment
06/20/05
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
all

Latest News for Madagascar

December 05, 2008: UK Critics Consensus: Writers Warm to Madagascar 2; UK Critics Liked Lakeview Terrace
With thirteen new releases in the UK cinemas this weekend, let Rotten Tomatoes help you sort the tinsel from the turkeys. We have animals on the loose in Madagascar: Escape 2... More...

August 15, 2008: Weekly Ketchup: Kung Fu Panda 2, Wheel of Time and more
This week's Ketchup bottle brings news about Kung Fu Panda 2, Madagascar 3, development news about the Wheel of Time series, and casting news about Mike Myers and Billy Bob... More...

June 07, 2007: Release Dates Set for "Shrek 4" and "Shrek 5"
Well, release years anyway, according to Jeffrey Katzenberg. More...

March 08, 2007: Chris Rock Hangs with Zebra Pack in "Madagascar 2"
"Madagascar" had Marty the zebra searching for his wild home in the jungles of Africa. Since the movie made so much money, all the zoo animals are back in the wild for... More...

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