Review: Megamind
DreamWorks Animations brings in their mastermind behind their successful Madagascar franchise, Tom McGrath, to deliver their latest animated 3D film, Megamind. This 3D movie is action-packed and visual eye candy, reminiscent of but not meeting the technological standards set by Wall-E and Despicable Me. The storyline and characters are engaging enough for Megamind to at least have temporary success, but will it have a lasting impact on audiences?
The world of Megamind revolves around two central characters, Megamind (Will Ferrell) and Metro Man (Brad Pitt), whose lives resemble that of Kal-el aka Clark Kent/Superman. Sent as babies from their home planets doomed for destruction, they land on Earth, where they are adopted by strangers. Metro Man lives a life of luxury, but Megamind is unfortunately diverted into Metro City prison where he's raised by inmates. He's sent to a school for gifted children where he is constantly upstaged by Metro Man. Megamind eventually accepts his fate of being bad is the one thing he is good at, and thus begins a never-ending battle waged between the two rivals.
Megamind is a lovable supervillian, a refreshing change of pace for a superhero movie. Unlike the main character in Despicable Me, Megamind wants to be accepted for who he is, and realizes the importance of Metro Man as yin to his yang -- although maybe a little too late. Metro Man's pompous attitude is as big as his pompadour and large chin resembling a certain late-night host. With the help of Minion (David Cross), his evil fish friend from his home planet, Megamind's ritualistically kidnaps television reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey) on a weekly basis, and Metro Man repeatedly saves her.
Through a fluke, Megamind finally defeats Metro Man, but quickly discovers that it's a loss for him as well. No longer challenged, he finds that his life is meaningless without a hero to fight. He decides to create a new hero to fight, but his plan backfires as his new rival Hal (Jonah Hill) has different ideas about what to do with his newly acquired superpowers. Now who will save the Metro City? And is it true that the villain never gets the girl?
The 3D special effects in Megamind are impressive at first, but after awhile I found the action sequences to be overdone and derivative. Clocking in at 96 minutes, the film flounders a bit -- I found myself as bored as Megamind. The film picks up by the final act, but young audiences will probably be squirming in the seats by the midway point. It's a Catch-22 situation, though; with the price of 3D movies nowadays, many consumers might be glad for the length of this film.
The strength of Megamind lies in the story and character development. As I mentioned earlier, Megamind is an engaging character, and his banter with Metro Man, his evil fish Minion, and the strong and witty Roxanne are priceless. I deliberately do not like to know beforehand who portrays the voices so that I can fully experience the characters. It's a personal peeve when a star overpowers a role -- for example, Jim Carrey as the Grinch -- and I'm quite pleased to say that neither Ferrell or Pitt did so. Even when Ferrell portrays "Space Dad," modeled after Marlon Brando as Jor-El in Superman, he still gives an understated performance that left me laughing long after. Hill is wonderful in his dual roles as Hal, the cameraman who moons over Roxanne, as well as his twisted alterego Titan.
Despite its shortcomings, overall I enjoyed Megamind -- so much so that I'll be more likely to add it to my home viewing library in place of Despicable Me. I enjoy the characters and the witty writing much better, and look forward to seeing this film again. However, with the hefty price of 3D movies, I recommend saving a few dollars by catching it at a matinee screening.