Review by Brian Orndorf

Like any improbable sequel, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" is a more potent creation when acting as a carefree joke blender than a believable sample of storytelling. As good-naturedly hilarious as the 2005 original film, the sequel suffers only in the freshness department, with filmmakers who really show lackluster confidence on where to take this unexpected franchise. It's a fine family diversion, but it fails to improve on its predecessor, and there's something mildly disappointing in that missed opportunity.

The time has come for Alex the lion (voiced by Ben Stiller), Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), and Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) to leave their makeshift residence under King Julien's (Sacha Baron Cohen) enthusiastic reign and head back home to New York, flying the safety-last Penguin Express airline. When plane troubles arrive mid-flight, the aircraft crashes into the wilds of Africa, leaving the passengers overwhelmed in paradise. Reuniting with his father Zuba (Bernie Mac), Alex finds himself in the middle of a struggle for control of the land, easily tricked and humiliated by the devious Makunga (Alec Baldwin). Now faced with their dreams come true, the foursome have to deal with the unkind consequences of life lived among their own kind.

As a silly animated distraction, "Madagascar" got by on a smidgen of heart, respectable vocal performances, and fine help from those hilarious penguins. The militaristic flightless fowl four returns in "Africa," and, no shock here, the penguins steal the movie yet again with their resolute antics, exemplifying the sequel's delicious zany side with bright flashes of hilarity and absurdity. However, the penguins are not the stars of the show (they really need their own feature-length movie). We're here for Alex, and I'm still wondering if that's such a worthwhile expedition.

The production has some difficulty dreaming up a new adventure worth the time invested, moving the action into the wilds of Africa and challenging our heroes with their dream come true. After a group effort in the previous film, "Africa" separates the lead animals, sending them to their specialized moments of self-realization. A few of the turns nudge interest: Marty finding literally his own kind with a herd of doppelganger zebras (all voiced by Rock), and Julien's quest to rule Africa permits Cohen a few moments of riffing that bring big laughs.

The irritant is Alex, who once again takes center stage, only in "Africa" the character is trapped in a reluctant heir to a jungle kingdom subplot that doesn't jump off the screen, failing to drive the movie's thematic core as intended. It's nicely acted by Stiller, Mac, and Baldwin, but the scenes aren't pleasurably silly, they lack any emotional quality, and often slow the film to a full stop. A subplot detour with a pack of human tourists stranded in the wild, led by Alex's old foe Nana (Elisa Gabriel), is another comedic sleeping pill the film could do without.

"Africa" sails fine when the production peels off the plot and just acts crazy for a few minutes at a time. The sequel reaches a few feverish Looney Tunes-style pressure points, often unsettlingly broad with slapstick. Still, speed is a good friend to "Africa," especially when the picture lays back and enjoys the world created in the previous film.

If you found any merit in "Madagascar," "Africa" will fill the same requirements for animated entertainment. It's a bumpy journey, but there are still enough giggles available to warmly embrace this second round with some seriously quirky animal pals.

----  B

Review by Matt Goldberg

The first "Madagascar" was a fun if highly predictable bit of family entertainment.  Dreamworks Animation doesn't pretend to push the envelope like Pixar and they still come out with highly profitable films.  I was just happy that "Madagascar" wasn't as snarky and pop-culture laden as the "Shrek" films.  Plus, there were genuinely funny elements like the covert penguins or Sacha Baron Cohen's voice work as the king of the lemurs.

But this time around, the laughs are nowhere to be found.  And while I can accept that kids may enjoy films I find torturous, there were actually kids in the audience for my screening and they were either too well-behaved or just as bored as I was. 

Discovering that penguins can't fly themselves or an aircraft, animals Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer), and Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) all crash land on the African continent.  There, the entire gang makes exciting new discoveries.  Alex finds that his father Zuba (Bernie Mac) is the Alpha Lion; Gloria is the hot new female on the savanna, Melman's hypochondria has led to him being the new doctor (although he's also very jealous of all the attention Gloria's giving to the male hippos), and Marty discovers that all the Zebras look, talk, and act exactly like him.

Let me pause on that last one: the zebra with the male black voice actor finds that all the other zebras are exactly like him to the point where his supposed best friend Alex, can't tell him apart from all the other zebras.  Kids won't pick up on the racism and not wanting to destroy their innocence, I certainly won't point it out to them.  I'll point it out to all the cynical adults like myself: "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" thinks all black men look, sound, and act alike.  Awesome.

The film's previous highlights of the penguins and King Julian (Cohen) don't have the same energy this time around.  They're really just repeating what they did in the first film and with the surprise gone, it's hard to find the humor.  With a greatly expanded role is the old woman from the first film who beat up on Alex.  Apparently test audiences must have gone ape-shit for her and there are thousands of slave laborers in China currently hard at work with t-shirts reading "Bad Kitty!"  I fear their hard work will go un-rewarded.

The only bright spot is Alec Baldwin's voice work as the antagonist Makunga who is trying to steal Zuba's throne.  Maybe it's just my enjoyment of Baldwin's work on "30 Rock" carrying over but with laughs in this film so scarce, I'll take them where ever I can.

Just because the kids at the screening didn't enjoy this film as much as I thought they would, that doesn't mean that a larger audience of your ADD children won't find something to laugh about.  Hell, if they can get "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" to $80 million in three weeks, they'll certainly turn out for another round of "Madagascar".  I just fear that parents won't be as forgiving this time around.

Rating ----- C minus