"The Return of the Revenge of Dr. Blowhole" Movie Review

Hi, I'm the Amateur Critic. I review just all anything.

This is my second review for this blog thus far. I'm very proud to be doing something that involves my opinions and stuff. Anyway, let's get started.

Remember Dr. Blowhole’s Revenge? It introduced Dr. Blowhole, played by Neil Patrick Harris. Now is his second appearance better or worse? On 9/9/11, Nickelodeon aired the 1-hour Penguins of Madagascar movie The Return of the Revenge of Dr. Blowhole, or as Nickelodeon dubs: Blowhole Strikes Back. (Why does Nickelodeon keep dubbing like that?)

 

            For me, this movie was epic. I liked the 2 lead characters. Alex the lion from the Madagascar movies made an appearance. (Cool!) Plus, Neil Patrick Harris sings in this special.

            But I questioned some parts (ex. major plot holes; I’ll count them). The musical began in the 2^nd act. (I thought the whole movie was a musical.) Dr. Blowhole is a clichéd villain, as usual.

            So how does this TV movie begin?

 

Opening scene:

Wow. We’re starting off The Return of the Revenge of Dr. Blowhole in Shanghai?
-Hi, how did we end up here? Weren’t the Penguins just in Hoboken in the show’s previous episode "The Hoboken Surprise"?

We find out that Skipper is on a solo mission to investigate something in Shanghai.

-This is starting to look like a James Bond movie. If that's the case, Daniel Craig should've been in this special, right?

            But Hans, Skipper’s foe from Hoboken, pops up, & they fight. Hans then corners Skipper on a pier & tells him exactly how he escaped Hoboken: someone they knew helped him.

 

-Plot hole #1: How did that person help you escape? Did they let you out through a back door in Hoboken? Did they have a magic wand or something? How did it happen?

Then the pier comes apart by a giant beach ball.

-Looks like the trailer teaser of the 1998 film Godzilla.

            But it’s not Godzilla coming to get Skipper; it’s Dr. Blowhole… a photogenic bad guy?

 

-Since Neil Patrick Harris is from How I Met Your Mother, can we get applause in this scene?
Dr. Blowhole: “Peng-you-in!”
Skipper: “Blowhole?!”
(Audience applauds and cheers)

Dr. Blowhole: “Was that an entrance or what? Not that you’ll remember it…” And by that, I’m stealing your memories, making this the focal point of the movie.

            Blowhole steals Skipper’s memories, & Skipper’s given the slip & falls into the ocean.

 

-The “memories” are in forms of people that Skipper knows. Is Blowhole’s stealing his soul instead of his memories?

-Blowhole tries to kill Skipper?! Did I see that right? Who wrote this episode?

(researching) Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle: the guys that brought you the episodes Popcorn Panic, Haunted Habitat, Crown Fools, Eclipsed, & Jiggles. But in those, killing wasn’t involved; it was just rough play & fooling around. I guess this movie didn’t have those distinctions.

 

Central Park Zoo:

The Penguins test a high-tech battery (I guess). They assume that Skipper’s okay, when in actually, he’s on a remote island, wondering where he is & who he is.

 

Secret-lair-on-the-go:

 

In a giant beach ball/submarine, Blowhole celebrates, using the word “crumble.” He asks what can crumble. They say “newspaper”; but he wasn’t impressed. They suggest “sports section.”
-You know, cookies crumble faster than paper. But the sports section joke was too tempting.

            Dr. Blowhole mentions the use of his Mind-Jacker, which pops up out of nowhere on his Segway.

-Ladies and gentlemen, our running gag of the movie. No kidding...

            With Skipper’s memories, Blowhole plans to attack Team Penguin. Just then, Hans asks: “Do you have Wi-Fi in this place?” Blowhole gets mad, making the Mind-Jacker pop up again.

 

-This is Hans’ last scene in the movie: ((Plot hole #2.) Does Blowhole give him a ride home?)

 

Lemur Habitat (a.k.a, the retired party house):

King Julien is listening to an iPod from the Lost & Found, until the battery dies on him.

-1-minute scene that’s nothing but Julien’s rant over how his iPod died on him. (Bathroom break, anyone?)

 

Island Scene:

Skipper has 2 hallucinations of people that he, I guess, knew in his past.

-I’ve seen Rockgut on the show before, but the snow monkey…? ((Plot hole #3.) What’s with the monkey, besides being Skipper’s spiritual guru? Will we see him later?)

            After some short but long-winded speeches, the 2 hallucinations leave Skipper… as confused as ever. (But he now knows his name. That’s a good start, I guess.)

 

Secret lair scene 2:

 

An alert rings, & a lobster stupidly checks his cell phone. Blowhole gets mad at him for supposedly not putting the phone on vibrate.
-Dr. Blowhole: “What part of put your phones on vibrate do you not understand?!” It’s not like I can just ask if anyone’s phone is ringing.

            An alert confirms that Skipper isn’t dead. Blowhole’s Mind-Jacker pops up yet again.

 

-Pray to God he laughed at that gag, because this movie does this 5 times! 3 down, 2 to go!

 

Island scene 2:

 

Skipper gets a hallucination in the form of Alex the lion, played by Wally Wingert.
-I guess Ben Stiller was too busy to reprise his role.
-Who’s Wally Wingert?

(researching) Oh! He played Jon Arbuckle in The Garfield Show. Neat.
-(Audience applauds and cheers as soon as Alex appears.)

            Alex tells Skipper who he is, & makes him applaud to his “greatness.” (How conceded.)

            Now aware of Skipper’s status, Blowhole sends a missile.

Skipper sees this & must relearn Alex’s [dance moves?] to escape. He outwits the missile. Blowhole doesn’t see this, because he just assumes that Skipper’s dead. One lobster cocks an attitude. Blowhole straightens him out.

 

-There’s a Red Lobster dinner special on the menu with your name on it, if you don’t cut it out.

            Blowhole gives a short speech to inspire his workforce, & listen: “We can do anything!”

 

-Isn’t that phrase 1 of the missing Kim Possible theme song lyrics (minus the fearing-the-wrath-of-Blowhole part)? And speaking of Kim Possible, check this out:
1. Dr. Blowhole talks about doing the impossible.
2. Dr. Blowhole saying, “We can do anything.”
3. John DiMaggio voicing Rico (he also voiced the bad guy Dr. Dracken from Kim Possible).
4. Nicole Sullivan voicing Marlene the otter (she also voiced Shego from Kim Possible).
Is this a Kim Possible reunion? I thought this movie special was supposed to be taken seriously!

 

Island scene 3:

 

Skipper doesn’t believe what Alex tells him. But Alex gets him to get off the island.

 

Secret lair scene 3: (Wow. This movie is jumpy.)

 

Blowhole plans to turn the Penguins into monsters. He tests his Diaboligizer on a bunny. The bunny harms a co-worker, but Blowhole’s too busy laughing & scheming to care. (Jerk.)
-The Mind-Jacker pops up again. We’re still rendering in on this gag! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

 

Zoo gift shop:

Julien looks for a new battery for his iPod. (Guess how many computers crashed to give you this scene.)

 

Ocean scene:

Skipper refuses to listen to Alex; but the thought of snow cones helps him recall NYC.

 

Penguin HQ scene:

 

Kowalski refuses to help Julien, because IDK, Julien’s annoying.
-Yeah, if I was confronted by an annoying person, I’d do the same.

 

Getting back home:

Skipper tries to tolerate Alex’s annoying behavior. They make it to NYC… just in time for Blowhole to arrive on the other side of town.
-I guess they’re spoofing Awful Alvin’s opening scene from LarryBoy and the Angry Eyebrows.

-Dr. Blowhole: “I’m coming for you, peng-you-ins. And I have a surprise.”

 (mimicking Dr. Blowhole) I wanna make sure that the audience is looking right at me as I say this.

 

Beginning of Act 2:

After the creepy, obnoxious scene of Blowhole closing in, he announces…
-Dr. Blowhole: “And now, part two… of my plan!” (Dude, you just broke 4th wall. Refer to the DVD for this.)
-(Plot hole #4: Your minions seem to not know about the plan. Didn’t you send them a memo?)

            He plans to go down to NYC. He presses a button to get his car, but gets his Mind-Jacker.

-Let’s use this joke one more time! Aww, come on! It’s not like I’m wasting time here.

            Blowhole presses the right button, and this time he gets… a clown car?

 

-It’s a rolling beach ball vehicle; but if he’s cramped inside, then it definitely qualifies as a clown car.

 

New York streets scene:

We then see Blowhole driving recklessly downtown, cutting off busses & taxis.
-How come no human/driver sees him? Are they too lenient?

(Example: (NYPD pulls him over.))

            COP: Is there a reason why you’re speeding, and why you’re heading to the zoo at closing time, sir?

            BLOWHOLE: Oh, sorry. I was invited by the zoo owners to go to their private party. They met me at last week’s zoo convention.

            COP: Now this all really sounds suspicious. I don’t remember a zoo convention in town.

            BLOWHOLE: Does a talking dolphin with a cyborg eye ever strike you as suspicious?

            COP: Not really. I think dolphins are cute.

            BLOWHOLE: Good. Can I have my speeding ticket now? I have a duet with an old rival... I mean, friend, in a few minutes. We got back together recently.

            COP: That’s okay, I’ll let you off with a warning.

            BLOWHOLE: Thanks, officer. I’ll spare your life when I take over NYC.

 

On the other side of town:

Blowhole isn’t the only one that gets away with not being seen by humans, because Skipper’s on his way to the zoo, but he’s having trouble escaping Alex. (Okay, next!)

 

Blowhole’s pursuit (cont’d.):

We now see Blowhole closing in on the Penguins’ HQ.

-Can he drive any more recklessly? Can his car get any more cramped? Can he get any closer to the camera as he’s examining his GPS?

 

Penguin HQ scene 2:

Julien & Mort sneak into Penguin HQ to steal Kowalski’s power cell. The penguins wake up & talk about Skipper’s absence. They schedule a time to worry about their fearless leader.

-You heard right! They have to schedule a time to worry about Skipper. It’s not for an important meeting; they’re scheduling the time to let out an emotion. It’s like me setting a time to get mad.
(Example: ME: I’ll get mad at 8:00 tonight. But I can’t cancel reading again. So 7:30.)

            But scheduling’s the least of their worries, because guess who comes to visit…

 

-Wow. Blowhole’s that scary?

            Blowhole gets out his Diaboligizer. (How the hell did he fit that into his car? (Plot hole #5)) He tells them that he’ll use it on them, & that Skipper can’t save them this time.

 

-Uh, penguins? Go for the exit! They can go anytime they want, but they don’t, which is stupid.

            The Penguins do the noblest thing: give up & wait to meet their doom.

-In fact, this is where the Penguins should’ve known that Skipper was in deep trouble right now. Or maybe they should’ve known that in their first scene (I don’t care which).

But when Julien & Mort return with the battery now in the iPod, Blowhole misfires. The iPod comes to life.

 

-Again, feel free to leave the room, guys, because the iPod isn’t gonna stop growing.

 

Zoo’s musical scene:

And thus, we begin the musical portion of the movie. (What took so long, I don’t know.)

1^st song sung by zoosters: “What the Heck is That?”

-Mason the chimp sings: “I heard what I believe to be a scream.” Dude, nobody screamed.

-Bada the gorilla points & sings: “Check out that mook in the starry night sky.” A mook is either a disagreeable/incompetent person, or a character serving little purpose in a story. (In case y’all didn’t know…)
-Bing (other gorilla) sings: “That Bing can’t help but sing along.” Wait a sec. Aren’t you Bing?

2^nd Song: “Julien’s Music Player”

 

-Making up words as we go: “huge-osity,” “dumby-dumb,” & “doom-y.” Creative, huh, guys?
-Did anyone catch the melody to this one? It’s like the whole song was improvised.

3^rd Song: “Everybody Must Sing”

-Finally! Dr. Blowhole sings! So far he’s doing pretty well in this duet with Kowalski.
-The song is entitled, “Everybody Must Sing;” but only two people are singing, while everyone else hesitates, and maybe sing a lyric or two.

-Magic trash can: “Now everybody sing! Everybody sing! Everybody has to sing! You don’t have much choice, but to module your voice! [See trash can] Because everybody must sing!”

4^th song: “Brand New Plan”

 

-Oh good! A solo by Dr. Blowhole! Ladies & gentlemen, our 1st soliloquy in the form of a song!
-I feel like I’m on a roller coaster. This song has more twists & turns than the whole movie.

-He’s not singing out in the open. This was all in his head! Plus, his left eye lit up like a…

What the hell is he doing?! Did he get possessed on his way to the zoo? But still, NPH nailed it.
-Blah, blah, blah; Dr. Blowhole is evil in the most clichéd ways possible. (Next!)

 

Outside the zoo:

Skipper sees the green glow coming from the zoo, but doesn’t acknowledge the singing. Fred the Squirrel makes a cameo. (Plot hole #6: I guess he snuck in from the back. In fact, (Plot hole #7), why is he in this movie at all? He just thinks that Skipper’s weird.)

 

5^th song: “Porpoise Power Ballad”

 

-Another song by Blowhole… The song just started, & already we see him with puppy-dog eyes.
-Big words: mediocre, ignoramus, cajole, & shan’t (Wow, Blowhole’s a Shakespeare fan?)
-And let’s not forget the oxymorons: …wonderful wicked harmony…beautiful evil…

 

After the song:

 

Blowhole turns the mutated iPod on the zoo. He leaves, and no one does anything.
-Someone stop him? An evil dolphin with mutated machinery isn’t easy to battle one-on-one.

            But when all hope seems lost, Skipper finally shows up to (I guess) save the day.

-Wow. The other Penguins are totally dependent on Skipper. It’s like they’re friggin’ five!

            Kowalski then brings Skipper up to speed on what’s going on.

-(I mimic Kowalski): Well, the story has like a gazillion plot holes; many of us characters are as clueless as hell for the sake of the plot; the songs don’t go pass two or three minutes; and I have a feeling that the songs and Neil Patrick Harris are more popular than the actual movie.

            Skipper’s plan: Who do they get to go against Blowhole’s angelic instrument? Julien!

-This was a choice that I didn’t like. I was hoping they’d pick Kowalski, because he sang with Blowhole not long ago, & he was pretty good.

 

NYC street scene:

The Penguins & Julien arrive in town & they run into… a taxi driver.
-Shut up, taxi driver! You’re not even in this movie.

The group spot Blowhole, which gives us our next song…

 

6^th song: “Thump Thump”

 

-Wow! Check out Julien’s cape & glasses! Wait a sec. Since when did the mutated iPod become a traveling talent scout?

-“Mort and Maurice disturbing the peace…” (Find out who’s doing what first.)
-Why doesn’t Blowhole try & take control of the iPod? It’s like handling a rowdy dog on a leash.
-Blah, blah, blah. Julien likes shaking his booty and singing.

 

After that song:

 

Team Penguin crash into a billboard of fireworks, & Blowhole laughs.
-You know, Dr. Blowhole seems to outwit people a few too many times in this movie.
1. He lures Skipper into a trap in Shanghai, steals his memories, and lets him drown.
2. He sees that Skipper is still alive; so he sends a missile to destroy him.
3. He travels down into the Penguins’ secret passage way to their HQ, while avoiding the traps.
4. The giant iPod goes on a rampage; & he uses it to his advantage.
5. He sees the Penguins trying to board the iPod with him; he just fires his cyborg eye at them.

 

7^th song: “We Are The Penguins”

 

-The first part is with Alex trying to get Skipper to sing. Skipper starts singing & attracts the attention of Dr. Blowhole.
-Brief shooting scene: until Blowhole runs out of ammo. (Dude, it’s not like a water gun.)

Skipper & Blowhole exchange “I’m gonna get you” lyrics; while Skipper’s buddies just watch them argue through song. (Why don’t they get off their asses & help him?) Skipper then makes a big jump, & while that’s going on:

1. Private is launched upward to distract Blowhole.
2. Julien is doing the robot. (I guess he got bored or something.)
3. Kowalski, with Rico, shoots a plunger at the iPod’s rear. (Where the hell did Private go as the plunger & Skipper meet at the same place at the same time? I guess he did a disappearing act.)
-Wait a sec. Is it the animation, or is NPH doing magic tricks? First it was the trash can at the zoo; & now Private goes just as Skipper jumps off a building. This isn’t a magic show!

Skipper pulls the plunger. The battery falls out. The iPod shrinks & disappears.

-So, all this technology, singing, & trying-to-get-home-before-evil-does crap, & the answer is the equivalent to turning off a light switch? It looks like pulling-the-plug logic saves the day.

            Dr. Blowhole tries to flee, but loses his mind (literally) to his own Mind-Jacker. He wakes up as a performing dolphin named Flippy. (Plot hole # 8: Hi. How did he end up there a “clean slate”? Is the Mind-Jacker a teleporting device? Or did the Penguins carry him there?)

 

            The show ends with Skipper high-fiving Alex, & his penguin buddies are none the wiser.

(Plot hole # 9: Skipper never tells his men about the Mind-Jacker incident in Shanghai.)

 

            That was The Return of the Revenge of Dr. Blowhole. Now does it really hold up when compared to Dr. Blowhole’s Revenge?

            The second act was where the most problems started, because it just wanted to humor us with dumbass humor. The 1st act, though, was pretty solid. We got the focal point of the movie, & the scenes kept us begging for more (That's the science of movie attraction).

            This TV movie, overall, experienced minor problems. The plot holes were unbelievable, although they weren’t piled up in 1 place like the ones in Dr. Blowhole’s Revenge did. Also, some of the secondary characters just twiddled their thumbs. (Lack of common sense is supposed to be funny?) Plus, I kept expecting to see the TBS logo, & to hear reactions from a live audience that you’d hear in comedies like Everybody Loves Raymond, because it was that corny. Finally, if this was supposed to be a musical, then why wasn’t it served right away? (We had to wait until the 2^nd act to get the musical, which was a bit disappointing.) And besides, the special is entitled The Return of the Revenge of Dr. Blowhole. Why not shorten the title and make to say: The Return of Dr. Blowhole's Revenge, or... Dr. Blowhole's 2nd Revenge, or... Dr. Blowhole Returns... those could've been better titles, because the title they have now is fixing to be longer than the show itself.

            But still, the movie was funny & exciting in an appropriate way. In fact, it had some funny scenes & gags. So I’d say that this movie did just as good as Dr. Blowhole’s Revenge, despite the corniness, plot holes, & the over-the-top “WTF?!” moments. As is, it’s not so bad, & it’s still a personal fav. So I would give this movie a B+.

Amateur Critic
Sources:
Penguins of Madagascar: The Return of the Revenge of Dr. Blowhole
LarryBoy and the Angry Eyebrows (that one pic)

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