Rating:  

DreamWorks Animation, Pacific Data Images, Red Hour Films, and Paramount Pictures.

Written by: Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons.

Looking back on the year in animated feature films, I must say I remain impressed and have wondered out loud if 2010 is start-to-finish the best year for animated features in quite some time. A couple of duds have been trolled out certainly (still do not understand that owl movie at all…), but by and large this is the year we will look back on and think of “How To Train Your Dragon”, “Toy Story 3″, “Despicable Me”, and perhaps one or two others with fond recollection.

And in the final weeks of 2010, we get “Megamind”. Powered by some impressive names in the vocal cast (Ferrell! Fey! Pitt! Cross!), we get yet another 3D feature which flies by in light and quick fashion, serving as a perfectly fine and entertaining way to spend a couple of hours at the movieplex.

Recycling the premise of “Superman” for its beginnings, two alien beings are orphaned to Earth and become inexplicably linked from birth. Megamind (Will Ferrell) and Metro Man (Brad Pitt) have grown up together in the well populated Metro City or Metrocity (Meh-tros-ity) as Megamind refers to it. What began as a childhood rivalry, developed into jealous rage on Megamind’s part as Metro Man becomes bigger and bigger in size, age, and success. As adults, Megamind is now the arch-nemesis of Metro Man and their constant cat-and-mouse games and occasional battles prove to be fortuitous endeavors for Megamind.

However one day, Megamind does the unthinkable. He wins. He destroys Metro Man and finally secures Metro City under his control. Along with his sidekick Minion (David Cross), he is a dictator and overlord quickly lacking inspiration. He has kidnapped the lovely reporter Roxanne (Tina Fey) for the umpteenth time and even that has lost its spark. So, Megamind concocts a brilliant and nefarious plan. He will create a new superhero to rise up, appear seemingly insurmountable, and then defeat him. The plan is as much for control as it is to satiate some emptiness in Megamind’s mundane world. Megamind selects Roxanne’s lowly cameraman (Jonah Hill) and soon the superhero Titan arrives on the scene. Rebranded as Tighten, Megamind soon realizes that his creation is harboring some untapped rage and anger of his own, twisting Megamind’s plan upside down.

I must say that the idea behind “Megamind” feels unique, even if there are moments within the film that come off as refurbished and recycled. Two things stick out for me in recommending the film. Initially, the conversational and comfortably engaging vocal work by all involved is an absolute plus. Will Ferrell cocktails all of his acting personas into the giant blue-headed Megamind character, delivering a rather schizophrenic and entertaining performance. Brad Pitt is great as the Metro Man superhero and Jonah Hill enacts his version of Jason Lee’s Syndrome from Pixar’s “The Incredibles”. Tina Fey is amusing as Megamind’s obsession, Roxanne, the poor woman he has kidnapped countless times and all for the simple purpose of just being with her out and trying to win her over.

Praise must be given for the film’s look and presentation. I did see the film in 3-D and while I have yet to see a film in 2010 that I think warrants the inflated ticket cost associated with that staging, if you do opt for the much higher ticket, you will reap some nice rewards. “Megamind”‘s backdrops and the meticulously laid out Metro City are quite stunning on the big screen. The standard darkening of the screen may be inescapable with those 3-D glasses, but you can still find yourself quite impressed with the animation and look of it all.

“Megamind” may not have the most original screenplay of all time. First-time screenwriters Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons have liberally borrowed bits and pieces from other movies; less an homage to those films, and more a thieving of various concepts and plots. And yet, they find a way to build on their initial premise and never let the film bog down or get boring.

I enjoyed “Megamind”. My 4-year old howled and cackled with laughter throughout the entire film, as did many of the children, both young and old, at my screening. My youngest daughter talked about it all day long, told everyone to go see it and now recites lines from the movie for us. Removed from it, I imagine I might like it less and less the more I see it but that is less the fault of “Megamind”, as much as it is the bar being raised this year by the films mentioned at the outset of this review. “Megamind” is going to sit well with your family, stand up to repeated viewings, and for 90+ minutes, entertain most everyone in attendance.

Should I See It?

Another animated film that will make adults laugh for different reasons than their children, “Megamind” offers a large amount of quotable lines and funny moments to share long after it is over.

The voice work is quite good and as mentioned above, the film, despite the disadvantages still present with 3–D viewing, looks terrific on the big screen.

The idea of a villain who wins and then feels empty afterward is novel enough to engage older teenage viewers who have seen countless superhero movies with the same plot essentially time and time again.

The borrowing from films like “Superman”, “The Incredibles”, and even this studio’s own “Despicable Me” will not sit well with some viewers. The film’s rather formulaic storytelling will be thin for those who wish to criticize it for being unoriginal.

There is no need to see this in 3-D.

I found the 1980s rock music soundtrack confounding and distracting. Perhaps I missed its purpose for being there?

Big name stars, big gigantic studio budget, rather familiar animation genre story. For some, this will be boring, uninspired, and something they have seen many times before.