Megamind
Directed by Tom McGrath
Starring the voices of Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, J.K. Simmons, and Ben Stiller.
Backstory
Over on the blog, I’ve said several times that I’ve grown to loathe the animated films of Dreamworks. The last one I saw in the theatre was Shrek 2, and it was the first movie that I thought was so bad that I wanted to throw things at the screen. And I haven’t seen a Dreamworks animated film in the theatres since. But then, things change. I rented Kung Fu Panda, and was pleasantly surprised. How to Train Your Dragon got a lot of good reviews, so I’ll probably rent it sooner rather than later. And then I heard about Megamind. Like a lot of nerds, I think superheroes and animation are a genre and a medium made for each other. So, I figured Megamind was the film where I’d finally give Dreamworks a second chance. Was it worth it?
Plot
Metro City has long been the battleground for the heroic Metro Man and the villainous Megamind. Megamind hatches his evil plot to destroy Metro Man and…it works. Metro Man is defeated. Megamind quickly takes control and is…consumed with boredom. With no hero to fight, he’s lost purpose in his life. So, he sets out to create a new hero for him to fight. He also starts romancing Roxanne Ritchie, the plucky reporter who frequently covered his and Metro Man’s battles. But, the new hero he created soon turns villain. Can Megamind switch sides, become a hero, and save the woman he’s fallen in love with?
What I Liked
The voice acting is top-notch. Will Ferrell is funny as always, and Tina Fey is equally good. There’s a great selection of songs padding the soundtrack. And the villain, voiced by Jonah Hill, does take a rather unexpected dark turn which was really good.
What I Didn’t Like
Your typical animated film formula is in full force here. There’s not a lot of surprises. Gee, our main character is maintaining an elaborate charade to win the woman of his dreams. How long before it all falls apart?
Final Assessment
Megamind is pretty much Shrek, if Shrek were skinny and blue. What Shrek did for fairy tales, this does for superheroes. It’s not a super-witty satire, but it’s goofy fun. I still think there’s a great story to be told about a supervillain who finally defeats his arch-enemy and is consumed with confusion about what to do next.