Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

By Connect2Mason Writer Emily Culley

Three years ago, Madagascar left the audience on a humorous note. The penguins knew that the plane was out of fuel, but decided it best not to tell the other passengers. The fierce group hits the theaters again in what should be a humorous release from the real world in Madgascar: Escape 2 Africa.

This time the animals find themselves in Africa. Instead of taking to the jungle as quickly as they had imagined during their first big screen rendezvous, the animals quickly find that there is a concrete difference between their life in New York and a life in Africa.

Arguably most sequels to kids movies fail in comparison to the original, but every once in a while the animators will wow us with a film that has the same artistic quality, as well as the same humor quality. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa would fall into that category.

Admittedly a lot of the plot becomes a bit splintered, where the script is trying to have six or seven different plot lines going at once. However, whenever the script becomes a bit too confusing or muddled, a penguin appears on the screen to offer a well timed and much appreciated humor break.

Parents should pay close attention to the “PG” rating of the film, while some of the humor may be added in for the parent's sake, it may become a bit overwhelming for a younger child. The second installment of Madagascar came at the perfect time for college students; just after mid terms and just before the final stretch of papers and exams. I recommend going to see this film to give a much needed study and humor break during the interim.

Grade: B-

Staring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, and Bernie Mac

Rated: PG