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MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE'S MOST WANTEDMovie Reviews
Animated family comedy about a lion, zebra, hippo and giraffe who join a traveling circus in Europe as they try to get home to New York. Cast:Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric The Entertainer, Andy Richter, Tom McGrath, Frances McDormand, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Martin Short, Paz VegaDirector:Eric DarnellRelease Date:June 8, 2012DVD Release:October 16, 2012From:Dreamworks/ParamountRating:PGLength:1 hr. 33 min.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted played to good reviews. • Steve Persall wrote in the Tampa Bay Times, "...a lot of fun.... packed with silliness and festooned with 3-D effects worth the surcharge for a change." • And Alison Willmore wrote for the AV Club, "...deeply, engagingly weird.... tramples all logic with disarming exuberance.... uncommonly rewarding..." More Reviews Below...
David Germain, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...cute... unwilling to risk the slightest lapse of audience attention, so they put the movie on fast-forward and let centripetal force hurtle viewers along..."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 509 words, 06/05/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...mostly feels like a frenetic spectacle.... Bits of songs from the original are reprised, though their initial silly charm is waning."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 378 words, 06/08/12
Kat Murphy, MSN Movies: EXCELLENT(cg) "...co-writer is Noah Baumbach... he's brought his off-kilter wit and smarts to an animated bestiary that keeps you laughing while eloquently re-defining where home is."(See all of Kat Murphy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 644 words, 06/05/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: MODERATE(cg) "...offers about as much as an oversized, overlong Saturday morning cartoon and if that's where expectations are set, it probably won't disappoint."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 793 words, 06/06/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
Andy Webster, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Where 'Madagascar 3' soars is in its visuals... the 3-D effects have wit and invention. Kids will be stimulated. And, parents, you'll enjoy the sights."(See all of Andy Webster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 268 words, 06/08/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "Even the penguins sound bored, and that's saying something. Or, to quote a penguin line from the first film: 'Well, this sucks.' "(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 444 words, 06/08/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a neon-saturated, high-flying trapeze act with enough frenetic funny business.... The character development of this edition is the best of the rest as well."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 731 words, 06/08/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...an exhausting, eyeball-gougingly ugly 90-minute assault of non-stop action, with an all-star voice cast shouting witless lines..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 287 words, 06/08/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "Not every kids' movie needs to be as profound as 'Old Yeller,' but this is the exact opposite, as frenetic and incoherent as Robin Williams on a bender."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 299 words, 06/08/12
Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a sequel that's actually better than the original movie.... absolutely charming and very funny... The attention to detail is superb..."(See all of Bill Zwecker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 481 words, 06/08/12
Eric Hynes, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Like a big-screen Big Gulp, this third installment of the billion-dollar animated franchise contains as much cinematic confection as an 85-minute movie can bear."(See all of Eric Hynes's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 272 words, 06/06/12
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's colourful, mostly forgettable entertainment that takes an interesting twist as the endgame plays out... Getting home is one thing, finding it another."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 502 words, 06/08/12
Jennie Punter, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...the clever lines and themes of friendship and finding home are almost completely overwhelmed here by the breathless pace and sensory overload..."(See all of Jennie Punter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 06/08/12
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...zippy, silly and antic... The humour is often pandering, but there are some cute zingers.... an extravagant neon, 3-D show that will wow kids and adults alike."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 228 words, 06/07/12
KEY CITIES (10 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "A parade of laughs? That, you expect. What's really surprising is just how moving it ultimately is, largely because of the emotionally engaging character animation."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 496 words, 06/08/12
Barbara Vancheri, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the circus rehearsals and performances provide visual panache and remind us that in the world of animation, anything is possible."(See all of Barbara Vancheri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 639 words, 06/08/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...one of the fanciest, most carefully assembled cartoons ever... Your brain goes breathless and giddy struggling to keep up... almost too good to leave to the children."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 476 words, 06/08/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...plot devices and developments appear out of nowhere, in a throw-it-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach. It's silly, and it's lazy. And yet, again, it's pretty funny."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 616 words, 06/08/12
Tom Russo, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Grown-ups can entertain themselves guessing what Baumbach might have contributed: the risqué stuff between Sacha Baron Cohen's King Julien and a feral she-bear?"(See all of Tom Russo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 06/08/12
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...churns out the snappy witticisms with admirable creative gusto, but it whizzes along at such a frenetic pace that you'll probably miss half of them."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 366 words, 06/08/12
Roger Moore, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a riot of splashy colors; silly 3-D gimmicks; big, broad kid-friendly gags.... low on new ideas, but it's also funny... closer to 'Shrek the Third' than, say, 'Toy Story 3.' "(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 402 words, 06/08/12
Stephen Whitty, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...wraps up neatly, suggesting the series is now concluded.... let's hope so. Though this outing is fine, there's no use beating a dead horse. Or even a cartoon zebra."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 264 words, 06/08/12
Eric Hynes, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Like a big-screen Big Gulp, this third installment of the billion-dollar animated franchise contains as much cinematic confection as an 85-minute movie can bear."(See all of Eric Hynes's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 272 words, 06/06/12
Mack Rawden, Cinema Blend: MODERATE(cg) "None of it is particularly awesome or memorable, but because it's jammed in quick succession, it's watchable and entertaining..."(See all of Mack Rawden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 559 words, 06/08/12
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...features a kid stuck in an elephant's ass, a lemur having sex with a bear, and Frances McDormand as the dogged French animal control officer Chantal Dubois..."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 160 words, 06/07/12
Alison Willmore, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...deeply, engagingly weird.... tramples all logic with disarming exuberance.... uncommonly rewarding, and a potential future stoner's delight."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 06/07/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The updating process is framed as an old and new story: once the circus was spectacular, now it's puny... new tricks lead to fame and fortune."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 782 words, 06/08/12
Michelle Orange, Movieline: VERY GOOD(cg) "...borrows enough from the modern children's movie playbook to get your guard up (or your eyes glazed), and yet it just as consistently manages to surprise..."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 771 words, 06/08/12
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...zippy, silly and antic... The humour is often pandering, but there are some cute zingers.... an extravagant neon, 3-D show that will wow kids and adults alike."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 228 words, 06/07/12
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...stands head and antlers above the previous films... mostly offers a trivial, empty spectacle, but at least the animators get the spectacle right."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 537 words, 06/07/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "...doesn't just bend the laws of physics, it creates kinetic chaos by ignoring them, and diminishes its impact in the process... It aims for the eyes, not the heart."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 342 words, 06/08/12
Andy Webster, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Where 'Madagascar 3' soars is in its visuals... the 3-D effects have wit and invention. Kids will be stimulated. And, parents, you'll enjoy the sights."(See all of Andy Webster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 268 words, 06/08/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a neon-saturated, high-flying trapeze act with enough frenetic funny business.... The character development of this edition is the best of the rest as well."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 731 words, 06/08/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: GOOD "Good-humored and endearing, full of energy and color... A bit crammed but not too crowded, zipping along at a well-modulated, rarely frenetic pace..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 699 words, 05/18/12
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...dominated by the characters shouting over one another and overcompensating for largely unfunny material by overacting... it's conspicuously unmodulated..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 586 words, 05/18/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...a neon-saturated, high-flying trapeze act with enough frenetic funny business.... The character development of this edition is the best of the rest as well."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 731 words, 06/08/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: EXCELLENT(cg) "...short, breezy, circus-like (literally), light entertainment... all will be pleased by some dazzling circus acts, which provide thrills that go way beyond the storytelling per se."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 781 words, 05/19/12
Andy Webster, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Where 'Madagascar 3' soars is in its visuals... the 3-D effects have wit and invention. Kids will be stimulated. And, parents, you'll enjoy the sights."(See all of Andy Webster's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 268 words, 06/08/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: MODERATE "...doesn't just bend the laws of physics, it creates kinetic chaos by ignoring them, and diminishes its impact in the process... It aims for the eyes, not the heart."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 342 words, 06/08/12
17.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted's reviews are separated by an average 17.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (40 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted's reviews cover 80.2% of potential readers (average is 68.0%). Volume:The film's reviews total 18,932 words involume (average is 20,221 words). Length:The film's reviews average 473 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 4 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.3 Release)
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted's reviews on average broke 4 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.3 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (40 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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