Movie Review: Penguins of Madagascar..cute n fun but best left in Madagascar

Ever since the release of the first Madagascar movie, they’ve been in the spotlight despite being the side characters. With genuine humor to boot and their own mini - cast of quirky characters, the penguins quickly became the biggest draw to any Madagascar movie. Now that they have their own movie it should so many times more fun, right? Well, not exactly..

You see, much like seasoning in a great dish, they are excellent accompaniments to a good act but give them an act of their own and you force them down a path of plot, direction and story telling which is not particularly their forte. The penguins are best enjoyed in mayhem - plotting, up to their necks in adventure, bringing their little spy games and rescue missions to life and succeeding despite having planned it all wrong. Their excellent play on words and quick yet witty dialogue is what brings in all the laughs. While this movie, certainly starts down this path, it is ultimately forced to bring emotion and a sense of normality to the proceedings which just isn’t the penguins’ style

Of the 92 minutes you see them on screen, a good 40 minutes is still penguin fun, though not as laugh out loud as you would have preferred. A scene involving a zebra crossing is a mini-gem and more of such stuff would’ve been great. However, the chase sequences and escape plans are all still very much in penguin territory. Unfortunately, post that, the fun dies down

One thing that could’ve added a new layer of fun to the script was a fresh, zany cast of new characters and while Cumberbatch and co. try their level best, their characters just don’t bring that extra zing. While I don’t fault the penguins per se, but I do think this movie could’ve done with a little more effort in the writing department. Keeping the fun going, despite telling a good story, would’ve taken a lot more creativity and effort that doesn’t seem to have been spent in this offering.

The Penguins of Madagascar thus, don’t get their dream debut . They are themselves still in form, but the lack of other great characters, not so great writing and an ordinary stereotypical storyline is what lets them down in the end. If I had to choose between watching this movie and a re-run of the airplane scene in Madagascar 2, I’d still choose their side act.