‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’ is (hopefully) the final film in the tiresome animated franchise. While the original started off enjoyable, the second one was too ‘Lion King’-esque. This third installment is surprisingly different from the previous two – it’s even more manic and nonsensical than ever before.

The four zoo animals are back – Alex the lion (voiced by Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer), and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) – and they’re still trying to get back home to New York City. The film apparently starts right where the second left off, with the penguins flying to Monte Carlo to somehow get everyone back home. The new characters introduced in ‘Escape 2 Africa’ are nowhere to be found this time around, essentially making the second film obsolete. After the gang grows impatient with waiting for the penguins’ return, they decide to leave Africa and go to Monte Carlo to find the penguins, and eventually go home. And here lies one of the biggest problems with the film – the animals are apparently able to swim from Africa all the way to Monte Carlo with goggles and snorkels. Nevermind how they even got a hold of the equipment, it’s basically there to make them look cute. If they’re able to swim from continent to continent, why couldn’t they have just done the same and swim to NYC?

Because this is a film with talking animals and absurd situations, I forgave this big logical gap. ‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’ does have some moments of brilliance, like the casino sequence and the car chase sequence involving the animals’ escape from a vicious animal control captain, Chantel Dubois (Frances McDormand). The film’s inclusion of this new character is one of its few highlights. The animal control captain is such a crazy and diabolical antagonist that she presents some actual danger to the main characters and the film itself.

In their efforts to get away from Dubois and find a way back home the gang hides aboard a traveling circus train. This circus features some new animal characters like Vitaly the angry Russian tiger (Bryan Cranston), Stefano the sea lion (Martin Short), and Gia the jaguar (Jessica Chastain). The rest of the film involves the gang’s support in the circus which, if successful, may lead them back home.

The best parts of the film involves the supporting cast, such as the penguin and their espionage-like adventures, King Julien’s crazy antics, and the adorable little lemur Mort. There’s even a disturbing, though sometimes funny, romance between King Julien and a circus bear who seems to be the only animal in this world that can’t speak.

Most of the problems with the film lies in its manic structure. The film zooms quickly from scene to scene, country to country, that it’s tiring to keep up. Everything the characters do is fast-paced and berserk. This is like if Aaron Sorkin (‘The Social Network’) wrote the script but with less interesting dialogue. The series has always been fast and wild, but this new film takes it to new levels. It’s as if the film was made specifically for audiences with severe ADD. There’s also random sequences that feature Katy Perry’s song “Fireworks” and that awfully annoying “afro circus” scene that’s been over-marketed.

The conclusion to ‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’ makes it seem likely that this is the final film, but there’s a high chance another installment could be made since the franchise is so popular and profitable. The ending also makes it clear that the entire trilogy could have been a single film, maybe slightly longer than the typical 93-minute length each has had. With the manic energy of  ‘Europe’s Most Wanted’, and a sudden revelation concerning the four main animals at the end of the film, the entire franchise could have easily been packaged in a single film. But hey, three films can be more profitable than one.

Two out of four Kents.

Extra Notes:

• It’s pretty awesome that Bryan Cranston voices a character in the film. He’s such a good actor, currently starring in the hit show ‘Breaking Bad’.