Movie Review: "Penguins of Madagascar"

"Madagascar" is one of my favorite franchises; I think the characters are fun and the movies are amazing (especially the 3rd one!). My expectations for this movie were high so it kind of breaks my heart a little to have to write a so-so review, but it just wasn't great!
The penguins were funny as usual; their clever ways and funny jokes make for a somewhat entertaining movie, but the plot was just lacking excitement and at times I thought it was too complex for little kids.
The story revolves around "Dave" the octopus who is carrying out a vengeance plan against all penguins of the world...(I'm not **entirely** sure why he was seeking vengeance but we was); the 4 main penguins try to save the day by carrying out a rescue plan with the assistance of special force called "North Wind".
They travel the world in an effort to take down Dave and his league of octopuses and needless to say they run into some complications along the way, which make up for most of the movie.
In the end, the sweetest of the penguins saves the day and all of them are saved from evil Dave.
Even though the penguins are funny and the **lame** plot is well carried out, the movie didn't "do it" for us... Olivia even said she was "bored" and said the movie was just "ok"; it was also slow paced in my opinion.
In all honesty I think the penguins should have remained secondary characters and did not merit a whole spin-off movie of their own; they are cute and funny but just not interesting enough for a whole movie.  I will forever hold a special place in my heart for this funny penguins, but I recommend bypassing this movie.  This one gets 2 out of 4 stars from me...watch it if you want to take your kid out on Thanksgiving break but try finding something better to do if you can!  Sorry, Penguins... maybe next time?... or not!?