10 Most Underwhelming Movies Of 2014

5. Penguins Of Madagascar

Silly animated flicks aren't a bad thing. If anything they're a necessary antidote to the dourness present in a lot of mainstream cinema. But being silly is no shortcut to being funny. The Lego Movie, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and some films that weren't from geniuses Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are stellar examples that are delirious fun, but manage to tie it all together into something with meaning (particularly in the former case). Penguins Of Madagascar completely misunderstands this, which is perplexing given how relentlessly fun the final movie of the main franchise wound up being. For the spin-off, little inventiveness is present, instead it's a low-range kid film that, because of its shiny exterior, got the good reviews DreamWorks always get, even when coasting. The major funny moments have been done better in previous animated fare (there's the staple "the bad guy has a normal name", as well as not one, but two riffs on those infernal Minions) and those that haven't are ran into the ground so fast you'll never want to have a cheese puff again. In fact, the best joke, a hilarious visual gag that also serves as a commentary on how nature documentaries often do more than just document, is five minutes in. After that point you might as well switch off.