The Reel Rejects - MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA (2008) MOVIE REACTION! FIRST TIME WATCHING! Full Movie Review

Episode Date: November 16, 2023

A LOVE LETTER TO THE LION KING! Madagascar 2 (Escape 2 Africa) Movie Reaction The Sequel to Madagascar from Dreamworks Animation Reaction, Recap, Commentary, & Review today as John & Tara Erickson continue their journey toward childhood they never had. Featuring new voices of Bernie Mac (Ocean's Eleven, Bad Santa), Alec Baldwin (The Royal Tenenbaums, Beetlejuice, The Departed), & Sherri Shepherd (30 Rock, Precious), & Will.i.am (The Black Eyed Peas, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) along with Ben Stiller (Zoolander, Tropic Thunder, Dodgeball, Meet the Parents), Chris Rock (Grown Ups, Spiral, Everybody Hates Chris), Jada Pinkett Smith (The Matrix Reloaded, Girls Trip, Gotham), David Schwimmer (Friends, Band of Brothers), Sacha Baron Coen (Borat, Talladega Nights, Brüno), Cedric the Entertainer (Barbershop, A Haunted House), & Andy Richter (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Elf, Scary Movie 2)!! We react to all the Best Scenes & Funniest Moments including The Lion Dance Scene, the Moto Moto Likes You Scene, Baby Alex Goes to New York Scene, Penguin Plane Crash Scene, Monkey-Powered Airplane Scene, The Nana Cometh Scene, Grand Theft Penguin Scene, Before We Come to Our Senses Scene, Animal Sacrifice Scene, King Julian's Match Maker Scene, the I Like to Move It Move It Remix, & MORE!! #Mdagascar #Madagascar2 #MadagascarEscape2Africa #Dreamworks #DreamworksAnimation #ChrisRock #BenStiller #JadaPinkettSmith #DavidSchwimmer #PenguinsOfMadagascar #ILikeToMoveItMoveIt #FirstTimeWatching #MovieReaction #MovieCommentary #MovieReview #Animation #AnimatedMovie Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Aparrel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ We wholeheartedly stand with the actors and writers currently on strike. They are the heartbeat of the stories that we cherish; the narratives that spark our imagination, open our minds, and invite us into unexplored realms. Their creativity shapes our understanding of the world and ourselves. Without them, our channel would be void of content. They challenge us, make us think, and broaden our perspectives through their compelling storytelling. We owe the existence of our channel to their craft and we believe in the power of unity and stand firm with the creative community during this critical period. SUPPORT THE STRIKERS: Support the Entertainment Community Fund for struggling strikers HERE: https://entertainmentcommunity.org/ THE STRIKING ORGANIZATIONS: SAG-AFTRA Strike Homepage: https://www.sagaftrastrike.org/ WGA-West: https://www.wga.org/ WGA-East: https://www.wgaeast.org/ POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Citizens of the Rejagnation. It's me and John Humphrey John Humphrey and me Tara Eric said we're gonna watch Madagascar too Escape to Africa Whoa that was so good You guys gotta leave a like

You gotta leave a comment for that Tell him how good he is at harmony I can't do harmony And you also don't forget to Ring the bell Ring the bell Oh my gosh that was so good You guys give it a break

Give it a break I look forward to the bell each time. Look at him go. Okay, listen, if you're not already, oh, wait, no, I have to think prepper real quick. Helping us edit down these videos, we appreciate you. But also, you got to get on the Patriot. Oh, no. Because we call you super sexy over there, so you got to get sexy.

You can seek up with your own copy watch. Oh, a mask art, Mad Gascar, too, with me and John, okay? And also, Greg and John have exclusive highlights and watchalongs over there on Patreon. So just get with it, get sexy. Also, don't forget, you guys got to get shirts. I don't have one on today. I'm like, they don't have this one there, but Reject Nation shop. These ones.

They got those ones. They got space babies of the galaxy and other kid-friendly shirts, child protection services. That was the one I was wearing yesterday. It's literally the best T-shirt and they are super comfortable. Like, I love them so much. I want to buy all of them. What have you got to say, John?

Any updates or something you want to tell the people? Guys, listen. I've always wanted to travel the world And this is gonna I'm gonna use this instead In an animated way So let's do it Manukas got to here we go I always wonder now

Is there like some kind of lore Or like who is that kid Oh no Oh Ah Jeez How's that, boys? Looks like ice-cold sushi for breakfast. Love it.

That is a terrific little opening button. Oh, that poor kid, they just like... They really snap him out of there. They got the Tritworks, kid. Oh, that's how they got him. Damn. He'll be worth a few bucks. No.

I hate those men and I want them to die. Yeah. If only this could be a saw reaction. also twice I see you round girl it won't be hard

because you're so plumpin Don't get that you Yes Body positive movie Oh look at it Yeah

Come on We can make it Then Can make it anywhere Love that shadow Lady Liberty Over here

They're just going to build a new utopia right here. New Yorkers, they get it done, you know? What happened to our thumbs? I haven't seen them since yesterday, sir. I'm done you, Darwin.

Oh. Private, you're coming with me. Oh. Whoa. Rika, you're coming with me. Ha. Creastay. Sometimes. that was fun.

That was very fun. That was a lot. That was a shotgun blast of energy. But largely, I appreciated pretty much everything they did or attempted to do. Yeah, right? Especially with the beginning, like you were saying, they're bringing in the, like, the Disney aspect of making us feel something. Yeah.

And I think that was my main complaint. Possibly if I had a slight complaint about the first one, I believe I remember talking about how there wasn't enough heart for me. Sure. And this one, they brought it. Yeah. I like that a lot. Yeah, this one, I mean, like, it was definitely, like, dense in terms of, like, what they

were trying to pack into the script. And there are so many moments where you can imagine, like, this alone is the setup for some kind of, you know, like, wacky exploration of, like, societies and, like, what happens when you're stranded amongst the elements and force to fend for yourself and blah, blah, how every different person responds to that. But, uh, but, but yeah, like, starting off with that sort of heaviness of like, oh, yeah, like, animal poaching and where do zoo animals come from and it's like it's not about it's not like allegorically expounding on those things like super heavily throughout the movie but they do like acknowledge the sort of

I don't know whiplash nature of society and life and just like yeah like this was probably a traumatic experience for Alex to get here even though this certainly in this universe seems to be a great place for him yeah and then going back and and you know being you know with the pride and sort of realizing like oh this these are not the skills i need to survive here like that could have gotten even darker and i think it's appropriate that they didn't go that dark about it like it was more about like a fight to prove yourself rather than like hey go kill something or whatever yeah but uh but yeah like i appreciate them at least acknowledging all these things yeah i like that also love was involved a lot i mean they had to bring it in where it's like

a love for like his his parents for their son that they just refound and melvin and is it gloria it's gloria right melman and gloria yeah yeah that they had sort of like they they all made these big like heart to rip that was that he was yeah it was like it was this early enough that he could have been in it yeah yeah rest in peace but but continue um i was just gonna say they all had these like heart to hearts like big, kind of like in a roncom where you're running, you're like, I just got to tell you, like your eyes and everything that you do. And I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love me, asking him to love her. That's the quote.

Anyway, they had all these like heart to hearts in this, even with Alex and I'm forgetting to see, Alex and Marty, they had it, Melvin and Gloria, they had it, but also the parents and Alex also had that. heart to heart, which I thought was really sweet and nice and had like a little bit of a rom-com feel to it. Yeah, and there's like it's funny in trying to do so many

things, there is a lightness to a certain amount of them which in some ways I think is kind of nice also because it's like you have Alex very much in a story about like expectations and be forced into a box and you know having to contend with that while also leaning into your strengths

and it's like it's one of those things that could have again, there's a lot of ways you could go with that and you could argue like maybe you know you should i think like the the experience of watching this might vary for somebody depending on if you want like one journey's kind of zoomed in on throughout versus right versus multiple plots because yeah certain things get to be more dimensional like i thought the melman and and glorious story was actually like really nicely paced because like i get sometimes you have that situation you're just like come on man say something but like i really believed how they portrayed

his reluctance to do that and I liked that they had this like really lusty or this sort of interlude with uh Motto Motto or whatever's Motto Motto will I am apparently who that was and like you know and it's

it's certainly lovely that they're relishing in the sort of like oh yeah we're both big and we love that and like that's that's quirky and fun but it's also you know well intentioned I think that's a nice thing and then finally his compulsion to you know through his character through the wackiness of his character and learning the witch doctor isms and really thriving in that like all that stuff I thought was like really nicely paced and proportioned and then you have Alex's story which is like you could go a little bit deeper into this but I thought you know for what this isn't who it's for it's good with Marty I was like this feels like it could have been fleshed out I was a little confused as to what they were trying to do with that because on the one hand it's sort of like I guess it's kind of messed up that Alex can't tell which one's Marty but also Marty's like we are all the same and it seems like they meant that literally but also maybe they

didn't but maybe they didn't I can't tell if they if that was supposed to be some kind of like oh hey I don't know there's the obvious stereotype of like people not being able to tell you know certain ethnicities apart you know and I was like are we doing that for kids or are we doing some kind of thing of like oh you know there are a lot of people like me out there and that can be like kind of a troubling thing about life and trying to figure out how you are unique and what your purposes and all that. Like the both of those are in there

and I couldn't tell what they were trying to do. Yeah, I feel like probably it's more that he feels in like invisible when he's around Alex, not necessarily in the wild, but especially at the zoo, right? It's like, well, they all should, but because he's just number one there. Alex is on his own plane of existence.

Yeah, I'm like maybe it's that. metaphor of like he feels in did I say indivisible I did not good you guys I the allergies and I'm drinking tea here at my brain Santa Anna wins it's just

it's it's rocking and rolling and not really in all the right ways coming of age it's okay we're on a right of passage right now it's a walk about shoot I forgot to say they can cut into this right if you're listening to this on Apple or Spotify make sure that you guys rate this

episode please and also don't forget to buy a t-shirt go to the real nope go don't forget to and also don't forget to buy t-shirts and all the merch at real reject no the reject nation shop oh my god make sure that you buy the best ad because we're all going to learn it together this is so good we're going to let's learn it together get all the t-shirts and all the merch yes every Rejectnation shop.com. We did it. You got a free t-shirt for that. My struggle is so real.

I want all their t-shirts. Anyway, we can continue with what we were saying. Absolutely. With a completely seamless transition. Yes. Yes. ADD. I've got it.

Hey, me too. It's amazing that we're able to keep these as snappy as we are sometimes. But yeah, where were we in? the in the reviewing um what was i saying we're talking about alx and marty and and and that whole thing about feeling invisible oh right yeah yeah i was like maybe it's that the the metaphors worked in there and then him Alex finally acknowledging him kind of putting his narcissism to the side to be like i know you and i will always know you because you are my best friend and at heart we i just can feel your presence that you are marty which was really sweet and obviously what marty needed to hear

Initially, he was very excited that he found, you know, people that were people, that he found his people that were all the same. And then you can get worn down by it, right? I'd be like, but what about individuality? Yeah. And I mean, I was like, are we going to learn about any of these? We're going to learn that not only are you Marty, like, that guy's Ted. And here's what makes Ted Ted.

Like, that's one thing about this movie that, like, I appreciate how many things they're doing. but I also feel like doing so many things forces a lot of them to be kind of brief, which is like fine, which I'm not mad about, but I was constantly thinking like, oh, you could do this thing with this plot line and this thing with that plot line. Like I like that they brought it so linearly out of the last one. You get the news report and then you've got them on the boat and then we figure out, you know, in trying to escape and get back to New York, they land, you know, crash land in Africa and then we're on this new adventure. And I like seeing them all getting acquainted and, yeah, finding their people and all that stuff. And you could relish more in that. Not that I, yeah, it's like, it's not really bad to me that they didn't. But part of me is like, I kind of wish they maybe did.

And then you have like King Julian who makes, who like, has to be included. And but I thought like the way they included him was fun and merited by the Alec Baldwin. Like, you know, him creating this, you know, mutiny and taking over. And then the water thing creates this power vacuum where somebody like you either have the devil, you know, this guy who's been clearly conniving for this role for some time. Or you have this new, you know, grifter dude rolling into town with his random mumbo-jumbo, and maybe we can follow that, you know, because we're all desperate and we're freaking out. And then the New Yorkers in the woods and we're expanding on the old lady.

And now they're like doing a society. And if they didn't, if they just ran into like a bunch of, it's another choose your venture moment with the movie where you're like, part of you is expecting, like, maybe he'll run into some hunters and actually have to like tussle. of harsh realities. Yeah. And we'll get like a five minute the Revenant style sequence

where he's just got to like mall somebody and then he cries because the trauma is just too much to yeah. But that's what we wanted in the first one too where they were like well he's got to eat a steak

eventually right? He's got to eat an animal steak, right? Yeah. Yeah and I mean you know for who it's for I'm not upset that they didn't go with that I'm just like you could and this movie did flirt with

or at least like pay some sort of lip service or homage to just the idea that yeah like politics and running societies is weird and difficult and you know various social strata are hard to you know bounce between and blah blah so uh yeah i don't know i appreciate when a movie is doing a whole lot and often like i was always having a good time i was always invested for the most part like as as sort of umbivalent or even maybe cynical as I was in the past thinking about these movies like I've had a blast watching these. Yeah it's been fun. Yeah and I like the characters

generally I like the things they're trying to do and I like the blend of wackiness the penguins you know like the penguins are always great like and they're always you want to believe that they're always going to go off in some kind of hairbrained like scheme yeah and they are but I guess you always expected to be like janky or failing in some way but they're always They always, yeah, you're right.

I mean, the last one with the boat, right? And this one with the plane, they always, they always do it right. They're the bon penguins. Yeah. So, I don't know. Yeah, this was like flipping through like a comic book. It was kind of like flipping through like if Archie was about animals and then like these issues are just about these characters.

And then these issues are about these characters. They all kind of loosely relate to being in Africa. Yeah. You know? And so like, yeah, I enjoyed it in that kind of. cartoon kind of way and I think that as much as they did pay homage to stuff like Lion King you know with this and yeah reached for maybe a little bit more sentimentality maybe a little bit more coming of age maybe a little bit more harsh reality it's still not trying to be the same

experience as like a more deep kind of Pixar thing so much as it is still wanting to be in the tradition of like you know slapstick and cartoon and and all sorts of things like that which I think as much as in the West animation is pigeonholed as being the thing for kids and that is frustrating in a lot of ways like I appreciate when people commit to this kind of you know lunacy yeah mixed with heart you know yeah like they added enough heart in this one I and a little bit more than the first one which I super appreciate and it made it more enjoyable for me yeah because I really I wanted to see what was going to happen with him and his parents which was great I would give this one. Yeah. I'd give this one like a seven out of ten. Yeah. It's not like these the

they're not my favorite like animated movie by any means. They're still like as I said with the first one I am very much drawn to the to the Pixar vibe just the art of their storytelling a lot and but this one I think number two I did enjoy more than one because there's still a lot of comedy there was a lot of there's a lot of plots going on but i did appreciate that because it kept it it's always very entertaining and it doesn't this one didn't seem um like the time was like ticking by and i don't think i felt that one in the first one this one just seemed quicker moving which i yeah yeah which i liked it kept me more engaged sure yeah and i like the contrast of that i think it's appropriate it's like the first one yeah it's like a little more

It's still like a bit madcap, but yeah, it's moving at like a more steady pace. Whereas this is like firing off in all directions. Yes. And, you know, you've got like a, Alec Baldwin for his like menacing and villainous as he is like is easily vanquished in a moment. You know, so yeah, like, yeah, it definitely though, yeah, it keeps you sort of, you don't have time to lose focus. Right, no, because you're on to the next thing. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And, oh, I had a, I had a ribbon to put on that.

No, I don't remember what it was. Maybe it was your rating. What did you rate it? Probably, what did you say? Like a seven? I said a seven. Yeah. Yeah, like 6.8.7.

Depending on, yeah, depending on the enjoyability, you know, maybe even a 7.3. Look at him go. You know. Wow. There are ways in which this could be even greater. But for what it was, nothing may be mad. I was always having a good time. I was always enjoying myself pleasantly.

Even if I was confused as to what they were trying to do at moments. Uh, yeah, yeah, solid for what this is, uh, you know, mission accomplished. They did it. All right. Do you have time? Do we, can we do a patron shout out? Let's do it. Let's do, um, what's a good like safari or something that matches Madagascar that we can do two patrons?

Oh. Okay, if they're stranded in the wild maybe. Yes. Okay. So I want to give a shout out to my patron, aka super sexy reject. We just watched, yeah, we just watched Madagascar, too. So much harder to type fast, escape to Africa. And we want to imagine these two patrons stranded in the wild and having to survive together.

work in a dancing animal somewhere. That's great. And make it, because we did this with Greg and it rolled three pages. So tell it to be... Yes. How many words? Be like in under... How many? How many? Like, 100 words?

300. 300. Let's go like 75 words. 75 words. Keep this to 75 words. I feel like 50 words could be a little short, but maybe 75 would be the sweet spot. 75 is good. And then, okay. The last part of this is we got to pick the perfect two-pageer. who belong in this scenario.

All right. Pick a name you like. Any name you like. Any name. Okay. I like Leach. Okay. And I like Perry.

All right. Mark Leach and Brian Perry. Here we go. Let's do this thing. One and a two and a three. Whoa. Here we go. Wow.

Creating images. Oh my God. This is creating images. This is going to be like a full-on thing. Oh, no. Tara. do. I'll download these. You'll download the images

and then you'll get to see the images and those images will be here. Oh my god. It made a digital art piece featuring you guys as cartoon character stranded in the wild African savannah. It says working together to

build a shelter. A joyfully dancing zebra is also included in the scene. We hope you enjoy the adventure. This picture needs to live on forever for both of you. I have no idea if this is even what your faces look like. I sort of don't think so. I might blur them on screen. This image is lovely, but could you do it as script with only dialogue? And 75 words. It's 75 words or less. Oh my God. Oh, my God. Certainly. Here's a short dialogue script. Here we go.

Catcher, the essence of Marklead. Oh, my God, there's so many. Brian Perry and Markleet stranded the wild with dancing zebras. I'm just going to preemptively tell it to rewrite this in more words. Okay, who do you want to be? Okay, I'll be Mark and Zebra. Okay. Look at this place, Brian.

We're really stranded. But we've got each other. And, hey, is that a dancing zebra? Welcome to the wild, friends. Oh, right. I'm Mark. Unbelievable. This is the adventure of a lifetime. Let's build a shelter together. We can handle anything.

Agreed. Let's do wait. I am I am Mark. This is what happens when you take on two roles, Tara. You guys, it's too much for me. Agreed, let's do this team. And don't forget to dance a little. Yes, excellent. Let's see what the expanded edition. Wow. You guys need to plan a trip now just to absolutely. Here's the expanded version. version of the script. All right, I'm going to be Mark this time. Do it, please.

Mark, gazing around it. Oh, Brian, can you believe it? Stranded in the heart of Africa. It's wild, Mark, but look on the bright side. What's that over there? Hello, new friends. Welcome. Welcome to my dance floor.

I don't know if it's problematic to do Chris Rock. The African Savannah. Ooh, talking zebra, dancing zebra. This is incredible. Only in Afco, Africa, right? But first, we need a game plan. Shelter? Yes, let's build something.

Teamworks our best bet out here. I'll provide the entertainment. Twirling, he's twirling. Dancing ease is all worries. Mark, I think that we got to make something out of these. Absolutely, Brian. We are a great team and with our zebra friend here. We are unstoppable.

I felt you're going to say it. Don't forget to enjoy the moment, guys. Let's dance. We won't forget. Let's go to work and maybe learn a few dance moves too. Wow. And that's how Brian Perry and Mark Leach brought dance back to the United States of America to our Patreon.

We gave it to the people and turned the world color from monochrome. Thank you so much. Thank you for being here and for being super sexy. We'll catch you on the next one. Bye. Bye.