Nature?

Watched Madagascar with a couple of friends yesterday. And of course, it wasn't the wisest thing to do trying to watch an animated feature on the first day of the school vacation. As expected, unthinking parents brought along children who fidgeted and screamed fifteen minutes into the movie till the end, and slapped our heads conscientiously at timed intervals.

Apart from the minor disturbances, let me talk about the movie. Like Shark Tale, the story borders on being a shallow tale. Some of the scenes like the animals taking the city subway and roaming the streets are just simply incredulous. Dialogs are sometimes banal or slapstick, although I must say the star of the voiceovers must be Chris Rock who brings his comedic persona into the character of Marty.

The scene where Marty and Alex meet on the beach after a near-shipwreck set against the Vangeli's Chariots of Fire is simply cheesy while the one with Alex mimicking the famous rose-dropping in American Beauty was top-notch.

In the end, I am not too sure if they are advocating that animals should be kept
in captivity so that they don't have to face the adverse conditions of the wilderness or we should celebrate the camaraderie between different spieces though the thought of a carnivorous animal thinking twice before satisying its ravenous appetite in the wild is rather unthinkable. Perhaps you have todecide for yourself.

Well, there's still good - the music in the feature, especially the Ali G remake of Reel to Real's I Like To Move It, does bring Madagascar out of its doldrums at the right time. (B-)