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Madagascar
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Dreamworks Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (8th November 2008). |
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The Film
 'Madagascar' is a simple movie about friendship and change. In the peaceful, but often boring Manhattan Zoo, zebra Marty (voiced by Chris Rock) wishes for a life in the wild, where he can run and do whatever he wants. Through a series of events, he and his friends hippo Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith), giraffe Melman (David Schwimmer) and lion Alex (Ben Stiller), end up in Madagascar (through which logic, I'm not too sure, but still). Life there isn't as sweet and serene as they thought, as Alex's instinctual side comes out. The plot of the movie is pretty thin, and a lot of the movie is spent on the journey. When they get to Africa, things move quickly, and the friendship between Alex and Marty is tested. There isn't anything special, and everybody knows how things will turn out. The characters are kind of flat, and only Alex seems to change in any kind of way. He has to accept the changes, whereas everybody else wants (or doesn't mind) change. The logic isn't the most thought out. This is the movie's biggest weakness. This is a cartoon aimed at kids, but even then, realism is pretty much thrown out the window. There are talking animals and penguins taking over a cargo ship, that I can accept. Building a 5-star resort on a beach out of material not even close to being found on the island, and physical happenings contradicting both physical force and gravity are things I can't let go. Younger kids will believe what’s going on, but going a bit older, they'll question what's going on. There are some funny bits, however. I especially liked the penguins. They're wacky and funny. They're described as 'psychotic' by Alex, but they're the best parts of the movie. There are also some nice jokes for adults, most notably the 'American Beauty' gag, though references to 'Hawaii Five-0' and 'Chariots of Fire' can be found. These are, however, only there to entertain the parents seeing the movie with their kids, but they're a thoughtful addition. The animation is extremely well done. PDI/Dreamworks had had a lot of experience with 'Antz' and 'Shrek', and have made a few others since 'Madagascar', and the experience shows through. The movements are smooth and the animation very sharp and natural (considering the type of movie). The landscapes and vistas in Africa are impressive, and the ocean looks very lifelike. Overall, the movie is enjoyable, though there are better movies (like, for example, 'Shrek'). It doesn't have too big of a message, and the movie is taken over by the characters goofing off. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, if you want that. Whatever parents may think of the movie, kids will definitely enjoy it.
Video
1.85:1 widescreen, using the MPEG4/AVC codec. This being a digital-to-digital transfer, I can hardly spot a problem. The colours are very strong and accurate. The black levels are very strong. There also isn't any banding or compression problems. The contrast is very nice, with the subtle shadings of the forests and beaches coming through without a problem. Any problem with detail or sharpness comes only from the source, and is a problem with the animation, not with the transfer.
Audio
An English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 is the main track, through Dolby Digital 5.1 dubs in French, Spanish and Portuguese are offered. The lossless track is very good. The dialogue is always clear and clean. The sounds of New York are also clear and make you think you're in a city. The sounds in Africa are nice and clear, as well. The good score by Hans Zimmer swells through, using up all the speakers. The rears are used occasionally, though atmosphere could have been a bit better. Volume levels are nice, as score overpowers dialogue in a few required scenes, while rustling leaves are quieter than dialogue. It’s a good mixing job. English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles are provided.
Extras
The BD edition takes more or less all the extras from the various editions and combines it into one disc. First up is the audio commentary by directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath. The pair have fun talking about their movie, even if it doesn’t sound that way. They're pretty subdued, though they give out a lot of good information. They talk a lot about the animation and how some of the scenes were animated. They talk about script changes and the many references to other movies and songs. (Incidentally, they do make a small mistake, informing us that 'I Like to Move It, Move It' is from the 1980s, when it's from 1994.) It's a nice track, informative, but is mostly for people interested in the making of the movie, as opposed to people interested in joking around. (I.e. more for adults than for kids.) Next is the pretty cute Penguins in a Christmas Caper (12:08) short. It's with the penguins, as the title suggests. It's a funny little short, and is good to pass a few Christmas minutes. Mad Mishaps (1:30) are some of the animation mistakes during production, like eyes not matching up with heads and hair not being where it should be. Some of them are pretty goofy. A few featurettes follow. Meet the Wild Cast (7:47) is an EPK-type featurette. The cast basically talk about their characters, while a few of the main crew talk about the actors. There's not all that much information given, but I'm sure one or two tidbits will be new. Behind the Crates (23:16) is much of the same, but more for kids. The various characters and their voices are discussed. The story and the animation process are also described. It ends up having a few bits of nice information, though a lot of it seems like it’s filler. The Tech of Madagascar (4:59) is a bit more interesting. The effects guys talk about their tools, and the various shots and how they achieved these shots. They talk about how they simulated plants and movements, and the slapstick aspect of the movie. They also get into their servers and the computers they used (HP servers, if you’re interested). Penguin Chat (8:43) is pretty cute, as well. This is basically a penguin commentary for the few scenes they find themselves in. This is definitely for the kids. It's a bit gimmicky, but it's a fun listen. Enchanted Island (7:50) is the last of the featurettes. It starts out as a promo video for the actual country of Madagascar. It’s actually pretty interesting, as you learn about the flora and fauna there. Then, they segue to the movie, and after that it’s decidedly less interesting, though the makers do explain how the real island inspired their movie and its locales. Dreamworks Animation Video Jukebox. This is a pretty fun extra. It includes songs from the various PDI/Dreamworks movies such as 'Shrek' and its sequels, 'Bee Movie' and 'Flushed Away'. It's cute. There's also the 'I Like to Move It' Music Video (2:50). This is a slapped-together music video and the animation is pretty crude compared to the movie. Learn to Draw (6:24) is just what it says: it shows you how to draw the characters. The drawings are pretty crude, but quite simple and make the characters easy to draw. There's also one Start-Up Trailer, for 'Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa' (1:52). A single high-definition exclusive extra is found. There's the Mad Trivia Pop-Up track. It's your standard pop-up track, giving you tons and tons of information about whatever you can ask. You learn about Grand Central Station, Lemurs, what names were thought up for the cargo ship but not used, and tons of other bits of information. There’s a nice amount of overlap between this track and the commentary, though the repetition is only when talking about the production of the movie.
Overall
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