Penguins: they’re slick, get the work done, and keep the audience mesmerized with their furry, cute looks. “Cute and cuddly boys, cute and cuddly.” If you ever wondered about the origin of this line or the penguin squad, the answer to your prayers is “Penguins of Madagascar.”
If you are familiar with the “Madagascar” movies, you can guess that the central arch of a penguins movie has to be completing a mission. So what mission could be unique enough to make for a movie plot? It must be big, be emotional, involve an evil villain, reflect upon penguins’ past, and be funny. “Penguins of Madagascar” is all that and more.
While on a mission to break into one of the most secure places in the U.S., the penguins meet their first nemesis: evil genius Dr. Octavius Brine, voiced by John Malkovich, who plans to terrorize the world with a newly developed serum. Their first battle with Brine sets the stage for introducing a covert operations team called the North Wind. Later, after bad luck for the penguins and North Wind, one of the penguins becomes a captive. The captive is none other than the cute, cuddly and amenable penguin, Private. With things getting personal, it’s up to the penguins to stop Brine and save Private. The story thus revolves around Private, the baby of the team. With Skipper as the leader, Kowalski as the brain, and Rico as the handyman, Private finds himself in an never-ending battle to find his calling and showing the world that he is more than just “cute and cuddly”.
If you are familiar with the “Madagascar” movies, you can guess that the central arch of a penguins movie has to be completing a mission. So what mission could be unique enough to make for a movie plot? It must be big, be emotional, involve an evil villain, reflect upon penguins’ past, and be funny. “Penguins of Madagascar” is all that and more.
While on a mission to break into one of the most secure places in the U.S., the penguins meet their first nemesis: evil genius Dr. Octavius Brine, voiced by John Malkovich, who plans to terrorize the world with a newly developed serum. Their first battle with Brine sets the stage for introducing a covert operations team called the North Wind. Later, after bad luck for the penguins and North Wind, one of the penguins becomes a captive. The captive is none other than the cute, cuddly and amenable penguin, Private. With things getting personal, it’s up to the penguins to stop Brine and save Private. The story thus revolves around Private, the baby of the team. With Skipper as the leader, Kowalski as the brain, and Rico as the handyman, Private finds himself in an never-ending battle to find his calling and showing the world that he is more than just “cute and cuddly”.
There is no doubt that “Penguins of Madagascar” is here to make you laugh. It might not make you laugh so hard that your stomach hurts, but rather it offers giggles and chuckles throughout. The kids will love it. Adults, just keep an eye for Short Fuse, an arctic seal voiced by Ken Jeong, with dialogue like “...they have flippers, I have flippers. It’s flipping useless!” (Wait did they almost just use the f-word?). In addition to the laughs, you have a new team on the ground (North Wind) lead by Classified, an arctic wolf voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. Egos clash when the poster-boy leader of North Wind is pitched against penguins leader, Skipper, as both teams try to prove their worth. It’s not just about the laughs and rivalry, though; the movie is likeable because it forges emotional connections, and nothing builds connection like an underdog (or an under-penguin).
With an array of fresh characters added to the “Madagascar”-verse as well as comedy, romance, rivalry and saving the world, “Penguins of Madagascar” makes for the right mix for your weekend at the multiplex. It may not be the best animated movie you’ve seen, but is sure worth checking out.
Grade: A-
With an array of fresh characters added to the “Madagascar”-verse as well as comedy, romance, rivalry and saving the world, “Penguins of Madagascar” makes for the right mix for your weekend at the multiplex. It may not be the best animated movie you’ve seen, but is sure worth checking out.
Grade: A-
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