Madagascar 3 Review

So the first one was good, and the second one was ok. But let’s face it, by the time the third film in a franchise turns up, nobody is expecting very much. But Madagascar 3 is surprisingly good – so good in fact that it currently holds the number two spot in the UK Box Office.

The dynamic quartet of Alex the lion (Stiller), Gloria the hippo (Pinkett-Smith), Melman the giraffe (Schwimmer) and Marty the zebra (Rock) are back for this third installment, and are still trying to get home to America from Africa, via…Monte Carlo. Which doesn’t seem hugely logical but, hey – the animals can talk, so we’re not nit-picking here. The new adventure begins when the gang lie low in a travelling circus, ruled over by an eastern European tiger called Vitaly (Bryan Cranston), who once had a rather strange act involving jumping through an impossibly small hoop while slicked with olive oil. Make of that what you will. The ever amusing Sacha Baron Cohen makes a returning appearance as the eccentric King Julien the ring-tailed lemur, and the whole cast working together make it a happy, cheery film for all the family (with a couple of little innuendos that are likely to fly over children’s heads, but make mum and dad snigger).

Madagascar 3 is modest and down-to-earth, and clearly wasn’t expecting much from the box office, but has fortunately become a big success. The great script from Eric Darnell and Noah Baumbach proves itself, with lots of laughs and a few tender moments, and the energy of the whole film is endearing. A bright, colourful, enthusiastic film – and certainly one to catch.