It’s a new day in Madagascar and Alex (Ben Stiller), Marty (Chris Rock), Melman (David Schwimmer), and Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) are still stranded in the island. This time the penguins and the monkeys have left them behind on their trip back to New York with their quick pit stop in Monte Carlo. Finally realizing that the penguins had lied to them, they follow them to Monte Carlo where more trouble follows them. Being on the run from Captain Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand), they join a travelling circus with the idea that they will help them convince the promoters to take then to New York and finally see home. In their quest to go back home, they find themselves with an unusual set of characters that will show them that what they want is right in front of them.
The gang is back for another adventure in what seems to be a never ending quest to return back home, but this new iteration finally brings some closure to the story (depending on how you look at it). The story is very similar in design to that of the last two; however, this time around there’s a fresh set of newcomers that bring a different dynamic to the story. The biggest addition was perhaps the bad character in Captain Chantel DuBois, who was a very awkward but interesting character. Her quest to capture Alex brought many great moments to the film, but due to her own quest the story felt somewhat rushed from one setting to another. This affected some of the development of the other new characters.
The film still remains very hearty and warm, the very essence if home is where the heart is grows and it becomes the prominent message. This makes the film enjoyable that by the end some of things that are drawbacks can be overlooked momentarily. The two previous films still edge this one by a small margin, but that doesn’t stop Madagascar 3 a bad entry. Sure, it’s not up to par with other competitor studio (Pixar for example) releases, but it is far from bad.
Madagascar 3 arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG4-AVC encode framed at 1.78:1 aspect ratio. If there’s something I love about some DreamWorks releases is the attention to detail in their transfers, Madagascar 3 looks phenomenal. The colors are vibrant and vivid. The color palette is impressive and there are plenty of scenes where the transfer stands out, particularly the circus scene with the variety of colors that appear on screen and look so vivid and lush. The dark colors are equally impressive with very deep and inky blacks. The detailing is exceptional as well, Alex’s lion fur or Vitaly’s tiger fur can pick at hair by hair. The surroundings are so detailed; even Monte Carlo offers some great visuals. By the end credits, I was left wanting more. It was really a fantastic transfer; this can easily be used as demo material.
The 3D aspect of the film features much of the same stunning visuals as the 2D version. In fact, for those that really enjoy 3D movies will truly enjoy Madagascar 3. The 3D effects are excellent, there are plenty of scenes to pick at that feature great depth and the space between the objects is noticeable. There are no real signs of ghosting which is a good thing. This is a solid 3D release from DreamWorks.
Madagascar 3 arrives on Blu-ray with a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless track. The track is very impressive from beginning to end. The dialogue is clean and clear throughout. The fronts feature excellent directionality. The rears are very active and often used for ambient effects. The track does a good job at creating a full 360 degree soundstage. The music flows freely through the very spacious mix. Overall, Madagascar 3 sounds great on Blu-ray.
Audio Commentary – featuring Directors Eric Darnell, Conrad Vernon and Tom McGrath. The trio of directors give plenty of information throughout the film. It’s a good track; if you don’t want to listen to this perhaps the pip version might persuade you since it offers a lot more.
Get Them To The Train – Interactive game where the viewers have to put the animals inside the train.
Animators’ Corner – this is a PiP track where the filmmakers discuss various scenes. There are various goodies like storyboards, pre visualization videos, and more.
Trivia Track – When enabled, tips and facts about the movie will pop up on screen throughout the movie.
Big Top Cast – The filmmakers and cast talk about what they all bring to the table for the franchise.
Ringmasters – This is a making of featurette, the directors take you through a day of making Madagascar 3.
Madagascar 3 Roundtable – the cast talks about Madagascar as a whole. The cast discusses their experiences of making all three films.
Deleted Scenes
Mad Music Mash-up
Previews
Digital Copy
If you have been following the animals in the quest for home, this may offer you that closure with a heart warm story, enjoyable, and often time’s funny entry. As usual, DreamWorks presented a good combination of content and quality transfers. The Blu-ray looks and sounds phenomenal; this will easily make it a demo worthy disc. The supplements are plenty but are somewhat lackluster with the exception of the PiP track. Overall, Madagascar 3 is a good entry to the franchise, whether it is the last one is still remained to be seen.
|
