Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
Dec 12, 2008Animation/Talking Animals
A reasonable sequel to DreamWorks' Madagascar that this time actually takes the characters to Africa where it determines to give each of them their own story
Will.I.Am.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Apr 29, 2009Comic-Book Superhero
After the disaster of X-Men: The Last Stand, the decision was made to give a whole film over to the series’s most popular character, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, and to go with a prequel that told his origin story. Largely a film that exists as a series of superheroic action scenes
Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard (2009)
May 5, 2011Miniature Magical World
This was the second of Luc Besson's Minimoys films, partly animated children's films set in a world of miniature creatures. Here the charms of the first film seem thinly stretched
Rio (2011)
May 9, 2011Animation/Talking Macaws
A Blue Sky Studios animated film set around a talking macaw and his journey to the wilds of Brazil for the first time to mate and repopulate the species. Familiar cliched story arcs conducted with a good deal of colour
Rio 2 (2014)
Apr 25, 2014Animation/Talking Macaws
I hate the utterly formulaic films of Blue Sky Studios, the ones behind the endless Ice Age sequels. That said, this is one of their more enjoyable – despite a plot that is amazingly busy trying to reintroduce characters from the first film, the screen overflows with colourful exuberance