Madagascar3: Europe's Most Wanted

 

Like most casual fans of the Madagascar series I got sucked in by the Circus Afro clip which I have watched more times than I care to admit to.

I skipped Madagascar2 although I can’t pretend to remember why and despite my enjoyment of said Circus Afro clip I only ended up seeing Madagascar3:  Europe’s Most Wanted as there was absolutely nothing else to see.

PLOT:  Still trying to get back to their beloved New York zoo Alex (Ben Stiller), Marty (Chris Rock), Gloria (Jada Pinkett-Smith) and Melman (David Schwimmer) travel to Monte Carlo to find the penguins and monkeys and their futuristic aeroplane.  After being chased by the Terminator of animal control (Frances McDormand) they find themselves stranded in Italy.  The gang then come up with a plan to buy an ailing circus, impress the locals, earn themselves a contract to perform in America and go home.   END PLOT

I was not expecting a deep insight to the homing instincts of captive born animals but the plot of Madagascar3: Europe’s Most Wanted is downright bizarre.   

The opening act of Madagascar3: Europe’s Most Wanted is great fun and laugh out loud on numerous occasions.  Unfortunately it all grinds to a halt when the new characters of Gia (Jessica Chastain), Vitaly (Bryan Cranston) and the incredibly irritating Stefano (Martin Short) arrive.

The entire circus arc goes on for far too long and made a 90min film feel much much longer.  I hadn’t consumed enough sugar to enjoy the psychedelic circus performance which was just weird and never ending. 

There are too many characters and of course the few that are actually amusing, the penguins and to an extent King Julian, are underused.  Madagascar3 needed more of the penguins and less of Alex and Marty but like everything Ben Stiller is involved in he is front and centre and completely uninteresting.

Despite the god awful plot and unfortunate number of characters it is hard to fault the voice work.  My current favourite Jessica Chastain does a commendable job of using a generic non-country specific European accent and Bryan Cranston is unrecognisable with his deep Russian voice.  I will never be a Martin Short fan therefore I am programmed to HATE everything he touches and/or voices.

In this day and age you can’t use the argument that animation is for children, look at How To Train Your Dragon and Tangled, they are two amazing films that cater to all ages.  I feel sorry for any child whose introduction to the cinematic world is Madagascar3.  It will put them off for life.

Madagascar3: Europe’s Most Wanted is a colourful, migraine, inducing mess but it’s saving grace is the criminally catchy Circus Afro clip and four penguins who really need to branch out on their own.  There are giggles but after a very strong opening section the entire film just falls flat. It gets a 4.5/10. 

Rock of Ages

I am not a fan of Tom Cruise. I am a fan of musicals. The two combined this week in Rock of Ages and as it transpired that I love musicals more than I dislike Tom Cruise I was there on opening day in an empty cinema.

PLOT: In 1987 Sherrie, (Julianne Hough) a girl who deems it complimentary when told that she smells of wine and cheap perfume, moves from Oklahoma to LA and falls in love with Drew (Diego Boneta). The two work in The Bourbon Room, a rock bar which is preparing for Arsenal’s final performance. The problem is their lead singer, Stacee Jaxx, (Tom Cruise) is completely unreliable. Will Stacee Jaxx play the gig? Will the young couple stay together forever? Will Russell Brand get too much screen time? END PLOT

The plot of Rock of Ages is not complex. It is a musical so it doesn’t need to be as it can rely on the songs and set pieces to get by – let’s be honest the plot of Grease is as thin as it gets.

Rock of Ages has a running time of two hours which is just too long. The love story between Sherrie and Drew causes the film to lag and I don’t think I could decide whether it was the monkey or Russell Brand who was the least amusing aspect of the film. The plot was weak and the length of the film served only to highlight this.

Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta are capable leads even though they look and sound like they have been genetically created by the Disney Channel.

Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand get far too much screen time and they have forever ruined REO Speedwagon. There were some comical moments from the pair but most of the humour, especially from Brand, missed the mark by some way.

Is it law that Brian Cranston must have a small role in every film? If ever there was a character that served no purpose in Rock of Ages it would the Mayor. The Mayor’s wife is a different story altogether as Catherine Zeta Jones was typically fantastic.

My dislike for Tom Cruise is well known but no matter how hard I try I cannot fault his performance. Cruise was great fun as Stacee Jaxx and brought appropriate levels of swagger to the role – his singing wasn’t bad either. The success of the film rides on his performance and luckily for all involved he pulled it off.

The musical numbers were big, loud and for the most part well executed. There were some nice mash-ups which include “We’re not going to take it/We Built This City” and “Juke Box Hero/I Love Rock n Roll” as well as some decent covers of well known rock songs. I was fortunate enough to know the originals before hand so I enjoyed the Glee-esque reworking of the classics. There are a couple that will make it into my I-pod but the vast majority wont.

If Rock of Ages ever comes to Belfast I will be there in flash as I can see why it would work as a musical show. The transference to the big screen just falls short and I blame this mostly on the length…… and the monkey.

Rock of Ages gets 7.5/10. If the bluray comes with a self editing feature and I could delete Brand/Baldwin, the love storyline and the monkey...... or I will just watch the sing-along version.