MOVIE REVIEW: “Madagascar 3″ fun for whole family

Very rarely do second or third installments end up as good as the original.

“Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” fought this stereotype.

The movie begins with the four main characters: a lion, giraffe, hippo and zebra stuck in Africa with no way to get back to their beloved Central Park Zoo in New York City. They decide to swim to Monte Carlo, where they would meet up with the penguins and chimps and fly home.

Then everything goes wrong. They break into a casino. Animal control is called. A crazy French woman hunts them down until their plane crashes. And they are left with nowhere to escape.

Until, of course, they notice they conveniently crashed next to a circus train.

They convince the circus animals that they used to be in the circus in America. The chimps, posing as the king, buy the circus with their casino winnings so they can be bought off and brought to the States.

While I didn’t necessarily appreciate the jabs made at Africa and zoos, the storyline was entertaining and kept the audience laughing throughout.

The audience was not only children, either, as many expect.

The movie did an excellent job entertaining the older audience members throughout the show, cracking jokes about French labor laws and making references to older songs. An “Inception” reference was even thrown in. While it may not have been intentional, it was still entertaining.

The main aspect of the movie that makes it one of the best in the trilogy, however, is the special effects.

In several scenes, the four main characters take part in a Cirque du Soleil-inspired traveling circus that is sure to wow audience members of all ages.

It is one of few movies that fully utilizes 3D effects in an almost “Avatar”-like fashion. The effects are natural, rather than forced. The scenes do not get congested with special effects so much that it seems busy, as can be seen in other 3D options.

“Madagascar 3” is a hilarious movie that will entertain the whole family, and it is worth a few extra dollars to see it in 3D.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars.