Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: November 7, 2008
6.8
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 255 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
163
Mixed:
71
Negative:
21
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
6
stevenr.Mar 10, 2009
Computer graphics have passed into a realm of beauty not witnessed before and Blu-Ray is the pinnacle. this film looks extraordinary in BR. the characters stay true to the original with the penguins and the king hilarious. you have to listen Computer graphics have passed into a realm of beauty not witnessed before and Blu-Ray is the pinnacle. this film looks extraordinary in BR. the characters stay true to the original with the penguins and the king hilarious. you have to listen closely to get all the gags. it is worth seeing for this alone.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
6
SrPepeJan 6, 2018
La película es divertida una vez, no se como a los críticos le pareció mejor esta que la anterior.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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4
HappymonkNov 30, 2011
Why Dreamworks? Why? The first film is so much better, nothing is really that funny in this film, it seems a lot less sophisticated than the first. An amazing disappointment.
1 of 3 users found this helpful12
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4
adhamhanyAug 12, 2013
Not the best franchise to come out of Dreamworks. This installment lacks any kind of humor, story, or interesting characters. Only the penguin characters (and they appear in very few scenes) save this movie from being a total waste of time.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
heyitsmegrif4Jan 29, 2012
A lot better than its predecessor but not well executed ans still has a whole bunch of the main flaws the first one had, but it is a well animated film and children will enjoy it. I give this movie 62%.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
JacobFeb 21, 2014
This film is nothing spectacular in fact it is just alright but I’m cool with that. Unlike the first film this one is kind of enjoyable. While it is not laugh at loud funny the film has a lot more heart, the main characters while still justThis film is nothing spectacular in fact it is just alright but I’m cool with that. Unlike the first film this one is kind of enjoyable. While it is not laugh at loud funny the film has a lot more heart, the main characters while still just alright I actually have a reason to care for them this time around, the penguins are used better, and the animation looks nice. I’m not going to recommend this film as it is not as good as something like Shrek 1 & 2 or Kung Fu Panda; however, this is a passable film and if you want something passable then this is it. Fans of the first film should check this out as it has more of the same characters and nice humor. This isn’t a drastic improvement so much as it will win people over who didn’t like the first one but if you are going into this film expecting another somewhat annoying film don’t worry it’s a bit better than the first one. This film is nothing but ok but it surpassed the first one and that’s good enough for me. It’s a rental, which is a lot more than I can say for other animated films like The Wild.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
MichaelDFeb 20, 2011
Well I wouldn't say the movie was bad. The humour was surprisingly good BUT the plot wasn't the best I ever seen.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
TyranianApr 7, 2019
Not as good as first film, writers don't seem to have many good ideas. Penguins are still great.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
OfficialMar 8, 2014
Personally, I enjoyed the first one more. But it comes really close. The sequel is still pretty silly but it's also quite funny. If they could mix the consistency of humor and action better, it would have been great.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
SeriosityDec 18, 2012
Marginally better than the first. Characters have a little more depth and the humor is more balanced. That being said, it is still sadly mediocre.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
jeff_reviewsJul 4, 2013
"Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" is a fun tale that is certainly enjoyable to watch, but it's story may feel similar to the first, and does lack in alot of qualities that the best animated fare have to offer.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
FranzHcriticNov 28, 2013
Devoid of some great aspects of 'Madagascar', 'Escape to Africa' is, in all, a neatly written comedy, though it has dumbed down significantly from the first. The penguins are hysterical, the main five are great, and a goodbye to the hilariousDevoid of some great aspects of 'Madagascar', 'Escape to Africa' is, in all, a neatly written comedy, though it has dumbed down significantly from the first. The penguins are hysterical, the main five are great, and a goodbye to the hilarious Bernie Mac.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
MovieGuysApr 30, 2014
An okay sequel to an okay first movie, Madagascar 2 may even be better than the first one in some scenes, but overall it seems a bit tired and sloppy.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
RayzorMooseNov 13, 2013
Madagascar attempts to recapture its image.
The film is semi-productive in its story which the first one seriously lacked. The only real problem is that the comedic element isn't but so apparent here. In conclusion, its entertaining, but notMadagascar attempts to recapture its image.
The film is semi-productive in its story which the first one seriously lacked. The only real problem is that the comedic element isn't but so apparent here. In conclusion, its entertaining, but not amazing.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
CineAutoctonoDec 8, 2015
Madagascar draws its sequel in the african savanna and was almost interesting but fun at the same time , more and more New Yorkers animals of emotion added to the third .
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
MovieGeeksApr 1, 2016
There’s a nuttier, generally more diverting entertainment creeping, crawling and waddling along the edges of “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” than the larger one lollygagging on screen. This central story of this new animated movie, written byThere’s a nuttier, generally more diverting entertainment creeping, crawling and waddling along the edges of “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” than the larger one lollygagging on screen. This central story of this new animated movie, written by Etan Cohen and the directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, involves Alex (Ben Stiller in low gear), a lion who in 2005 journeyed from New York captivity (i.e., a zoo) to the jungle in the first “Madagascar” with the usual mix of celebrity-voiced racial and ethnic stereotypes: a motor-mouthed zebra, Marty (Chris Rock); a nice if woefully neurotic giraffe, Melman (David Schwimmer); and the token girl, a hippo with a sizeable caboose named Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith).

Three years later Alex and company are literally ejected from Madagascar in a rickety plane operated by a penguin crew that’s led by the supremely confident, quite possibly insane Skipper (Mr. McGrath), a sleek ball of feathers and fat who simultaneously brings to mind Jon Lovitz, Phil Hartman, John Wayne and a cue ball. Along with his two sidekicks, a couple of stooges called Kowalski and Private (Chris Miller and Christopher Knights), Skipper keeps first the plane and then — after crash-landing on an African savannah — the movie moving with his deadpan delivery and with some surrealistic nonsense involving a barrel of laughing monkeys. (I see a big future for Mason and his silent partner, Phil, the two-chimp team whose lah-di-dah manners and sartorial flair recall that of the 1970s television ape, Lancelot Link.)

With King Julien, a deranged lemur whose daft non sequiturs and bon mots are dropped and dribbled with dexterity and control by an unrecognizable Sacha Baron Cohen (at times sounding like a less frantic Robin Williams), the penguins and chimps could have skittered into something memorable. Alas, the filmmakers, who clearly are having as much fun visually with these scene stealers as they are aurally, stick by the contemporary American animation playbook: Alex has a dream (gotta dance), father issues (with Bernie Mac as the pride of the pride) and a requisite baddie rival (Alec Baldwin, who else?). There’s also an unfunny old lady with a Jackie Mason accent who deserves a violently cruel end, but this is a PG movie.

Mr. Darnell and Mr. McGrath don’t appear especially committed to these stale conceits and character dynamics, which may explain why they spend so much time playing with the penguins, chimps and King Julien, who may not roar but certainly rules. There’s true playfulness here whenever this wacky animal pack takes over, a suggestion of delirium echoed by the zippy, at times overly zooming camerawork with its roller-coaster dips and swoops. And while the filmmakers throw the camera around almost as much as Brian De Palma does, every so often they slow down, giving you a chance to scan the softly muted colors of the landscapes and explore how the exaggerated character designs create a nice visual contrast with the photorealistic details and flourishes.

It’s unsurprising that Alex’s mane registers as more realistic than any of his words or emotions, but it’s also a bummer. “Escape 2 Africa” is good enough in patches to make its distracting star turns, storybook clichés and stereotypes harder to take than they would be in a less enjoyable movie. Casting Mr. Stiller and Mr. Schwimmer may sear their brands onto under-age cerebral cortices but does nothing for the movie. And, really, did the hippo (voiced by will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas) who courts Gloria with a low rumble and a suggestive shimmy have to sound like Barry White rather than, say, Marc Anthony or Justin Timberlake? I laughed, but honestly, if this country can vote colorblind surely its movie studios can animate colorblind too. (Can’t they?)… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
FLInfiniteJul 7, 2021
I don't like Moto Moto. Every time he's on screen, I get this weird feeling that I don't wanna get from a movie called "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa." Maybe it was actually Gloria and I'm pinning the blame on this dweeb. Who knows.

Anyway theI don't like Moto Moto. Every time he's on screen, I get this weird feeling that I don't wanna get from a movie called "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa." Maybe it was actually Gloria and I'm pinning the blame on this dweeb. Who knows.

Anyway the movie was okay I guess.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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