BEST OF 2008: GLOBAL STARS -- MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA: BEST ANIMATED FILM

I confess I didn't like the first Madagascar film, except for the times when Sacha Baron Cohen's King Julien appeared n screen.

But the second Madagascar film -- is a great second helping indeed! It is a case of the sequel being better than the first one. Madagascar 2 is funny, cheeky and engaging and it has the level of irreverence that the Dreamworks studio is so famous for (remember the first Shrek film?).

And the additional voice talents like Alec Baldwin (Makunga), Will.I.Am (Moto Moto) -- are insired choices indeed!

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is the perfect antidode to the sterile and nauseating animation that Pixar keeps churning out from its production line.

MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA...WHEN IT DOES COMEDY, THIS ANIMATED FLICK ROCKS!

I managed to catch Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and I must say that when they do comedy, the scripwriters and the voice talents are spectacular in rising to the occasion. You will be roaring with laughter at their lines and antics.

When Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa dishes out jokes after jokes, the film is wonderful.

However, when the scriptwriter have the actors trying to emote serious emotional issues (family issues, sappy friendship issues... yadda yadda yadda), then this computer animated film threatens to fizzle -- until a gag comes along from any of the furry leads to save the day! Mercifully, there are plenty of jokes to keep this comedy afloat.

As usual, when Chris Rock's part is suitably trimmed, he can be funny, although his Zebra character has to indulge in some disgusting spit antics. The Hippo (a very saucy Jada Pinkett Smith), Lion (the airhead Ben Stiller) and Giraffe (the needy David Schwimmer) are funny in parts as well as in their sum, especially when all these four animals are together. My personal prized possession in the Madagascar films (although the first film was mostly sucky for me, except when the king of lemurs was on screen!) is of course the Lemur king, King Julien the hedonista-extraordinaire, as voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen. King Julien is the craziest and most deliciously delusional character in the Madagascar films and it is sheer delight to see how King Julien gets away with his lunacy.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is one of those rare movies where the second film is actually better than the first film.

Oh, I just can't resist saying this -- the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, is going to get a skewering from me for being such a lame and worthless film. More on the kebab-ing of Quantum of Solace on my next blog entry!