  
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africaa.k.a. “Madagascar 2”MPAA Rating:
 for some mild crude humor.Reviewed by: Jonathan Rodriguez Average
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:
Kids, Family, Teens, Adults
Genre:
Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Sequel
Length:
1 hr. 28 min.
Year of Release:
2008
USA Release:
November 7, 2008 (wide—3,900 theaters)
DVD: February 6, 2009  
Relevant Issues
Review of the prequel to this film: Madagascar (2005) 
“The crate escape” I loved this movie, plain and simple. The animation is splendid, the action is thrilling, the plot is far more complex than the original, and it's flat out a funnier film, too. The cast of zoo mates—Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, and Gloria the Hippo—is back, this time trying to return to New York City with the help of their penguin friends, who have attempted to fix the plane they found in the first film. The flight does actually get off ground, but then returns to the ground after everything falls apart, crashing them into the middle of the African plains. They stumble onto an African Wildlife Preserve (which Melman is 40% positive is San Diego), and meet hundreds of different creatures from their own actual species, giving them an opportunity to interact for the first time with animals just like them. This has it's advantages (Gloria is looking for a man to settle down with), but it also brings about disadvantages and discouragements (the pack of Zebras leaves Marty feeling kinda ordinary and not unique at all). Alex is forced to prove himself to the rest of the lions, which winds up being far more difficult for a lion who is used to spending his time wowing audiences with his dance routine, not his fighting skills. Trouble comes when the preserve's water supply mysteriously vanishes, leaving the animals near death and looking for help wherever they can find it. For a movie aimed at children, I thought there were fewer potentially offensive moments than in the original, or in just about any other “kid-friendly” film—see the “Shrek” trilogy, but I will mention the things I did notice, and parents can decide for themselves whether or not it is right for their children.
These things may or may not bother you as parents, but I felt the need to share them anyway, just in case. Like the original, “Madagascar 2” focuses heavily on the importance of friendship, and not always putting yourself first. It emphasizes how everyone is unique in their own way, even though they may resemble others in some shape or form. It teaches children that looks and attraction don't add up to love, and that truly caring about a person means knowing what they love, and putting their needs in front of your own desires. All in all, they seemed like pretty decent lessons to be dispensing to children. While I really liked the original, “Madagascar 2” put a smile on my face for pretty much the entire film. The voice talent is once again fantastic (Sacha Baron Cohen nearly stealing the show as King Julien), with Bernie Mac bringing surprising vocal depth to his role as Zuba, the alpha male lion of the pride. If you enjoyed the first film even a slight amount, you will find “Madagascar 2” to be a very pleasant escape. Violence: Minor / Profanity: Minor / Sex/Nudity: None See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.   Comments below:
Positive
Positive - This was an extremely funny movie. My husband and I went to see it (we have no children) and laughed until we cried. The animation is great and the voices are perfect for the characters. There are some positive messages in the movie such as sticking together through tough times, friendship being valuable and even looking for a mate based on something other than looks. I couldn't give it a good definition however based on the following (NOTE SPOILERS): Positive - In reading the noted points that may be found offensive, I wanted to comment on one point that was left out. Not to give away the ending, but this movie could conceivably push the “tolerance” agenda when one species marries another. Of course, this is a children's movie and being such, we should all love one another. But I do believe there are hidden agendas in many forms that persuade our children to be tolerant of differences. I'm just saying, it's up to you to decide when you see the movie for yourself. Positive - I loved this movie! If you kinda liked the first one, then you'll love this one. It's got a lot more humor.… Neutral
Neutral - I took my children to see this movie, and while I agree with the reviewer overall, he did not mention some items that a parent may want to know about. The relationship between Gloria (the Hippo) and Moto Moto (the hunky hippo on the preserve) is shown in a sexual manner. Every time the two talk, it is in low tones and with sexual innuendos. It made me very uncomfortable for my children to watch. My oldest son (20) commented that there were many unnecessary scenes and suggestive comments. Melman (the giraffe) and Gloria end up “together,” and while it is just a movie, I believe this is a deliberate attempt by Hollywood to portray that all love (even if it is not accepted by society) is okay. This is a message that is already shoved down our throats on a daily basis, and I don't think my children need to see it in a children's movie. Neutral - I went to see this film with my two children. Basically, it's a nice film with lots of laughter, but there are some love scenes that I think should not be in a children's film. For example, the meeting with the two Hippos (moto-moto and Gloria)—just to name one scene. Other than that, it's good entertainment. The kids enjoyed it and also their parents. Neutral - I found this film interesting as to its choice of antagonistic story line. It wasn't until after I'd left and I was thinking about the movie and a marriage scene at the end when it occurred to me, the movie has a lot of similarities to the gay lifestyle. i.e. Plot one: Neutral - I noticed that when the plane landed in Africa and Gloria says something along the lines of dating, Mel man is horrified and shouts you mean other guys, which I took as a subtle hint of homosexuality on his part, and I seemed to get reinforced with him hanging around other males only and they seemed to be on the guy side. Neutral - I noticed that when the plane landed in Africa, and Gloria says something along the lines of dating, Mel man is horrified and shouts you mean other guys, which I took as a subtle hint of homosexuality on his part, and I seemed to get reinforced with him hanging around other males only, and they seemed to be on the guy side. Negative
Negative - Don't waste your money on this one. At least a couple of times the entire audience seemed bored and not paying attention. The adults in the theater were either asleep or playing with their cell phones. When I asked my five-year-old son what he thought he said he liked the first movie better. There were a few evolution references and there seemed to be an obvious sexual overtone throughout the movie. My daughter said that the interaction between the two hippos made her uncomfortable. The storyline wasn't very original either. It seemed very Lion King'ish. Don't wait for this one on DVD either. Negative - The reviewer on your web site actually caught a lot of “little” things objectionable with this film that I had not noticed. The reason it was easy to miss many of these things was the extremely fast pace of the movie, which also made it tougher for adults to enjoy if prone to nausea. Negative - This is NOT a CHRISTIAN family/child friendly film. What might have been redeeming about this film was lost in the noise of poor taste and disrespect. There was a clear sexual undertone to this movie; from the very subtle (two male monkeys negotiating for maternity leave for their ‘brother’ monkeys—the penguin across the table remarks: “but you’re all male?” drawing attention to “the something” that, again while understated could almost be called pointedly political) to almost everything said and sung by Will.i.am as Moto Moto, the hippopotamus. My 14 and 16 year old daughters were repulsed by this character and called him ‘smarmy’. For anyone trying to remain pure, this stereotyped ‘let’s get it on’ (yes, I am THAT old) character will be like a commercial you wish that you could fast forward through. Negative - I could not recommend this movie to parents of small children because of the sexual undertones mentioned in the review as well as other comments such as King Jullian's comment of wanting his n_ts on a silver platter. And then there's the sleazy male hippo that was obviously only after one thing with Gloria. There's no reason for this “adult” humor in a children's movie. I'm finding it hard to believe that a Christian reviewer can highly recommend this movie. Negative - This movie was out of this world horrible for a Christian family to sit down together and watch! From Melvin being a witch doctor, to them offering him over to the “gods” of the volcano to bring back their water in Africa.At first I let a few things go over me like the small monkey type animal acting as a woman (which he was a male) and asking the other animals which one of you like this? And the witch doctor part kind of bothered me but was tollerable.It was when the were all gathered around the volcano chanting save us save us to the “volcano gods” offering up a sacrifice, when my husband and I scooped up our three year old and left the movies. Negative - When we went to this movie, I saw the PG rating, and assumed it was good. It was not. I think that people who see this as okay, have severely jaded consciences, and need to spend more time in their Bible, less time in their theatre. We walked out, probably halfway through the movie, when they introduced the lemur proposing a sacrifice to volcano gods. Negative - I viewed this entire film, with a slight diaper change interruption. I expected this movie to be cleaner. I had two major issues with this movie: Negative - This film was a yawnnnnner… I fell asleep at 3 points in the film and was just glad it was over. I paid $6.50 for my ticket and forgot to use my school ID to get $1.50 off. Save your money… Negative - I viewed this entire film, with a slight diaper change interruption. I expected this movie to be cleaner. I had two major issues with this movie: Negative - When we went to this movie, I saw the PG rating, and assumed it was good. It was not. I think that people who see this as okay, have severely jaded consciences, and need to spend more time in their Bible, less time in their theatre. Negative - …My husband and I started to watch it and shut it down not quite halfway through because we thought it was morally disgusting. When the children's leader at our church sent out notices to the kids that we would be watching this film in a few weeks I went to her to object, but she said it was fine, and that she had brought her kids to see it at the theatre. My husband and I decided to watch it again from the beginning all the way through (again—without our 7 year old son present). We even put the subtitles on to be sure we understood everything that was being said. I think if you read the other negative comments on this film that will sum up pretty much what I think of it as well. …We will NOT be allowing our child to view this film and I am going to fight to have it NOT be shown at our church for children grades Kindergarten through 5. I'm not saying we are perfect and don't let our child watch anything negative, but I've got to draw the line on this one. Too bad because the rest of the movie was quite funny, if you could ignore the blatant violence and sexual inuendo. Negative - As a Christian family we took a stand against today's over-sexed entertainment by getting rid of our TV and by not going to the movie theater. Some people would say that not having these two forms of entertainment would disconnect you from the world and I would say that they are right and wrong. Right in the sense that I am not being conformed to this world and wrong because it has brought me closer to God, closer to my family and closer to the community. I guess you can say it has brought us out of fantasy and into reality. With that being said, my family and I do watch videos from time to time and I agree with many of the negative reviews given for this movie on this site. One scene that was not mentioned was the crash landing scene that makes a reference to incest. I believe it’s when the leader penguin tells the other pilot to “put it down gently like your kissing your sister” and then he says “kiss your sister”. With sexual undertone throughout the whole movie this comment is very inappropriate. I do not recommend this movie for Christian families. Negative - I have seen most of Madigascar (in the home of a relative). I would never spend my hard earned money to watch is movie. Why? The name of the movie is Madigascar - this is also the name of an island where Charles Darwin did his research about the orchid and the moth. Geez, the name of one monkey is Darwin... for me that is frankly quite enough… There many references to evolution and false gods. This movie promotes a harmful evolutionary and New Age worldview. Negative - …I watched this with my wife and three kids (ages 3, 6, 7), and I found it to be, not only disappointing, but also disturbing on various levels. The previous commentaries provide the details of the content so I won't needlessly repeat them. Comments from young people
Neutral - You forgot to mention in your review of the movie that there are two parts in the film which suggest gay relations. Like for instance, there is one part of the movie where one of the monkey's kiss the skipper aka the lead penguin. Their both males. I found it offensive, but was a little shocked at first to see something like that in this film. The second scene is one of when the four main characters, are talking about dating etc etc. Melman says something like this “dating …other guys?” I'm paraphrasing but he did say it. These may or may not be issues for you or children but I think that however, small they are, Hollywood was dropping a hint. Beyond those two small parts, the movie was great, it was very humorous, and I would recommend others to see it. Positive - I must say, this was the best animated movie I have ever seen! I was a big fan of the first one and saw the preview for the sequel and thought that it wouldn't be nearly as good as the first one. But I was I wrong! This movie had a great plot, lots of laughs (most of which are not in the previews surprisingly), and some good life lessons. Some were like being accepted for who you are and there's more to liking someone then just their appearance, there's also inner beauty. (SPOILER WARNING) For example, Gloria realizes that Moto Moto only likes her because she’s big, not for who she is on the inside. Which is why she realizes that Melman is her true love. (END OF SPOILER) The only negatives I could think of were some slapstick violence from the old lady once again fighting Alex, and a scene where one of the penguins says “I'm so happy I could kiss” and the male monkey actually does. I know that my pastor was a little offended by this scene. But besides that, Madagascar 2 is THE animated movie of the year. I suggest taking your fives and up! Enjoy! Positive - A good movie, a little crude (not as crude a the first), and very funny. The part about praying to you're own personal gods was meant to be humorous, the shark wasn't scary, it was funny looking. So was the part about King Julian pretending (he isn't portrayed as smart anyway :) to be a woman. Oh, and when the hunter is shooting at the baby lion's father he only nicks him in the ear. The lion gets up quickly after, as it's only a painful cut. Nothing to brutal. But a great, hilarious movie!!!… Neutral - I liked it a lot but it just needed to have more funny parts at the end. The first one was better because it had a better story and funnier parts than the second one. So I just think it needed to improve a bit. Positive - I must say, this was the best animated movie I have ever seen! I was a big fan of the first one and saw the preview for the sequel and thought that it wouldn't be nearly as good as the first one. But I was I wrong! This movie had a great plot, lots of laughs (most of which are not in the previews surprisingly), and some good life lessons. Some were like being accepted for who you are and there's more to liking someone then just their appearance, there's also inner beauty. (SPOILER WARNING) For example, Gloria realizes that Moto Moto only likes her because she's big, not for who she is on the inside. Which is why she realizes that Melman is her true love. (END OF SPOILER) Positive - A good movie, a little crude (not as crude a the first), and very funny. The part about praying to you're own personal gods was meant to be humorous, the shark wasn't scary, it was funny looking. So was the part about King Julien pretending (he isn't portrayed as smart anyway :) to be a woman. Oh, and when the hunter is shooting at the baby lion's father, he only nicks him in the ear. The lion gets up quickly after, as it's only a painful cut. Nothing too brutal. But a great, hilarious movie!!!… Positive - I loved “Madagascar…”! I didn't find it offensive. I guess the movie also has good morals, too. Neutral - I don't think this movie was near as funny as the first one. I did think the penguins were funny, and I liked the parts with Alex's dad learning to accept him. But I was a little offended by the romance between Melman and Gloria, I thought that was really weird. And the penguin getting married to the bobble-head doll was really weird too. And unlike the first movie where I thought he was pretty funny, I found nearly every word coming out of King Julian's mouth to be very unfunny and offensive. Not to mention the cross-dressing. And another thing: I thought it was very offensive how the camera kept zooming in on people's butts, especially with Moto-Moto. So I probably wouldn't recommend this movie, definitely not to little kids, but I guess it wasn't that bad for teenagers and adults. Just a little stupid. Positive - This movie gets bashed on way too much. It's a great movie and it deserves every little bit of good comments that it's gotten. I think it's better than the first one, but only by a little. There were maybe two lines that I found even slightly offensive. I think that's pretty good that a PG-rate movie of today can only have two slightly offensive lines in a full eighty-nine minutes. |
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