Megamind

Synopsis: The super-villain, Megamind (voiced by Will Ferrell), finds himself at a crossroads when his arch-nemesis, Metro Man (voiced by Brad Pitt), retires.

Release Date: November 5, 2010     MPAA Rating: PG-13

Genre(s): Animation, Children and Family

Film Review

Megamind is the most evil of all villains! Ok, not quite. But he can be a pleasant diversion. Megamind (voiced by Will Ferrell) and Metro Man (voiced by Brad Pitt) shared the same fate as children. Their planets on the brink of destruction, their parent’s placed them in space pods to save them from death and to find a new life on a new planet (Superman origin story should be cueing in right about now). Metro Man landed in the lap of luxury and grew up with everything he could ever want. Megamind landed in the yard of a prison, for the criminally gifted. The constant odd man out he experienced life as a child being the last one picked for everything and without any close friends, except for his trusty minion fish his parent’s so thoughtfully sent with him as a baby. His only hope at being noticed in this world was to be bad; very, very bad. So he became the archnemesis of Metro Man and the two have spent the better part of their adult lives battling in Metro City.

The world changes for Megamind when Metro Man is no longer around to save the day and the city is under his control. He goes through an existential crisis; as what good is it to be bad when there is no good around to keep things level? His one true love, Roxanne Ritchi (voiced by Tina Fey) hates him for his evil doings. Megamind must think of something to bring him joy once again. The solution: to create a new superhero he can do battle with and get his evil mojo flowing again. Titan (voiced by Jonah Hill) is his creation but just as all of Megamind’s plans go awry so does this one and Titan is anything but a hero. This kink in his plan leaves him another state of distress as he must decide whether to be evil, or save the city as a hero from the evil Titan.

As the above plot progresses you are in somewhat of an animation daze. The dazzling colors and constant effects keep your eyes glued to the screen. But the actual story leaves you wanting more. More excitement, more peril, more laughter, and definitely more originality. The character of Megamind is delightful. Mostly due to the fact that no matter how evil he appears to be his constant blundering of his evil plans makes him more of a joke than a serious evil genius. Add to this his sublime chemistry with his sarcastic sidekick Minion and you have a great character on screen. When he is alone, in his secret chamber conjuring up his next evil deed, or even moping over the loss of his one true love you are mesmerized by him. It is when he returns to the bigger picture, the actual movie so to speak, that the film loses your attention. Megamind is to be regarded as a film that has potential that was never fully realized. It is full of great characters that could go on to be in great animated films, but as it stands, this film is merely a passing fancy for moviegoers.

Sitting in a theatre composed of equal parts adults and children I was privy to the responses of either intended audience member. The children’s response to the humor of the film was frightful – I never heard the sound of a child’s laughter expect for once during the entire movie! As for the adults, they were having a great time throughout. Why? Well, most of the jokes in Megamind touch upon pop culture references from days gone by. For a child who is not familiar with, for example, the game Donkey Kong, President Obama’s token campaign poster, or Marlon Brando as Superman’s Dad, the punchline, or overall scope of the joke is lost on them. Adults who do recollect these, among many others, are bound to see the humor but the longevity is never realized. The character, Megamind, can be amusing as he bumbles through his supervillainess ways but I found it is more watchable overall than actually funny. With Will Ferrell voicing Megamind it is expected that humor shall follow, but sometimes what seems like it will be funny on the page just does not resonate to the viewer. Such is the case with this film, it has the nostalgia down for adults to get a bit of a giggle in now and again but as an actual comedy it offers nothing remotely close to comedy overall.

Cast and Crew

• Director(s): Tom McGrath
• Producer(s): Alan SchoolcraftBrent Simons
• Screenwriter(s): Will Ferrell (voice of Megamind)Brad Pitt (voice of Metro Man)Tina Fey (voice of Roxanne Ritchi)
• Story: Jonah Hill (voice of Tighten)
• Cast: Justin Theroux (voice of Bernard)Ben Stiller (voice of Megamind’s Father)
• Editor(s):
• Cinematographer: Hans Zimmer
• Production Designer(s):
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• Music Score: 
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