Penguins of Madagascar

When it comes to franchise films, the 'Madagascar' collection has got to be one of the better ones--whether it be animated or not. When I saw the first film "Madagascar" in 2005, I wasn't expecting the fresh and funny movie it turned out to be, mostly because of the fact that so many animated flicks were being churned out, that this couldn't be anything special. I was proven wrong! Now we have "Penguins of Madagascar" and the fun and quality just never seems to end.

Super spy teams aren't born...they're hatched. Discover the secrets of the greatest and most hilarious covert birds in the global espionage biz: Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private (Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Conrad Vernon and Christopher Knights) respectively. These elitists of the elite are joining forces with a chic undercover organization, The North Wind. Led by handsome and husky Agent Classified (Benedict Cumberbatch)-- we could tell you his name, but then...you know. Together, they must stop the villainous Dr. Octavious Brine (John Malkovich), otherwise known as Dave, from destroying the world as we know it. Can these operative penguins stop this over-the-top octopus before it's too late?

Others to round out the cast are Ken Jeong as Short Fuse, Annet Mahendru as Eva and Peter Stormare as Corporal, all part of The North Wind team, Andy Richter as Mort, Danny Jacobs as King Julien, Sean Charmatz as Cricket and Werner Herzog as Documentary Filmmaker.

This was brilliantly and wittily directed by Eric Darnell ("Antz" '98, "Madagascar" '05, "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" '08, "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" '12) and Simon
J. Smith ("Bee Movie" '07). The quick action pacing was unsurpassed as was the sequencing of story buy these directors. Even though Smith has limited experience in the director's chair, having the seasoned Darnell along with him made this duo shine. It was wittily written by John Aboud, Michael Colton and Brandon Sawyer based on a story by Alan Schoolcraft, Brent Simons, Colton and Aboud based on characters by Darnell and McGrath. Perhaps I'm a bit bias in that the penguins have always been my favorite characters of this franchise. I guess it's because of the fact that even though they are wisecracking, the team effort they possess is spot on, and besides, they're penguins, which are odd enough characters that one would never assume could be co-ops. The premise of this was absolutely fluid: How they got started, how they obtained Private, and subsequently seeing them do what they do best. It all simply flowed like water.

If you love animated flicks and especially that of the 'Madagascar' franchise, you will love this, but if the animated film isn't your cup of tea, the story, wit and action should more than make up for the fact that this isn't a live action film. In any rate, enjoy--I should did.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                  Rated: PG                                92mins.