The Power of Words

           Have you ever seen a movie or play that seemed to have a storyline made for one age group, but the diction used is confusing for that specific audience?  I went to go see one of these the other day.  I decided since I’m not old enough yet to attend rated “R” movies, I would instead go see Madagascar 3.  I don’t know how many of you have gone to see the movie, or have even see Madagascar 1 and 2, but even if you haven’t, I am sure you all know the basic concept of the film.

            In Madagascar 3, the animals have once again managed to get themselves into another sticky situation, as they do in the first and second movies.  They spend the span of the movie trying to find their way home while pursuing various adventures.  The best way for an animal to travel is of course, a traveling circus.  However, they are still in Europe and must be able to earn a contract in the United States before they will be able to return home.

            Alex, the lion and leader of the animals, orchestrates the ultimate circus performance.  If you have seen the movie, you will know what I mean when I say it was quite an impressive circus.  You have to remember, while watching the movie, that they are all animals.  In the circus the animals are able to trapeze and leap through the air, while completely running their own circus.  For an older audience, this may seem quite childish and unrealistic.

            Now I realize the movie is obviously made for children, as there aren’t very many movies with talking animals for adults.  However, I feel as though some of the humor in the movie would be difficult for children to understand and was more centered towards adults.  This being said, I don’t know why the director would have made the movie this way, as certain parts would have been confusing to young children without being able to understand the humor.  There were times in the movie that the animals also began to speak other languages, including French and Spanish.  These points in time were especially difficult to follow as there were no subtitles included.  However, the absence of the subtitles makes sense for the children who cannot yet read, but many children would not have understood what is being said and therefore missed the humor being used.

            Overall, I think the movie was funny and would be a good family movie.  However, supposedly the storyline was supposed to be pointing towards a younger audience, but the humor used was pointing towards a more mature audience.  The director and screenwriters should try to use better diction when writing a movie for young children so that everything is able to make sense for the target audience.

 

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