DreamWorks Animation has been increasing its status as a formidable alternative to Pixar. However, unlike Pixar, DreamWorks’ films have been a bit of a mixed bag, with How to Train Your Dragon and Bee Movie being at opposing ends of the spectrum.
Which end does Megamind fall on? Read on, true believers.
Megamind follows the story of a super villain, the titular Megamind (Will Ferrell), as he plots to not only take over Metro City, but to also steal the heart of TV reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey). Unfortunately, everybody’s favorite super hero, Metro Man (Brad Pitt), is always there to thwart any danger he poses. However, through a shocking twist, Megamind is able to defeat his arch-nemesis, leaving Metro City under his rule. Metro Man’s defeat then poses the question: What happens when evil triumphs over good? Why, Megamind and his only friend, Minion (David Cross) set forth on a plan to create a new super hero to fight, Roxanne Ritchi’s cameraman, Hal (Jonah Hill). Unfortunately, things don’t exactly go their way as Hal quickly turns to the Dark Side, leaving it up to Megamind to save the city he antagonized for so long.
As you can see, Megamind is definitely not lacking in talent, with the main characters a part of the who’s who in comedy right now. I’m not the biggest fan of Ferrell, but not having to see his crazy face helped me appreciate his voice acting. In contrast, it’s a tease to hear Fey’s voice come out of an animated character when you can imagine her mannerisms and facial expressions with every line. Having gone into the theater not knowing much about the movie beyond the basic plot, I was surprised and thoroughly excited to not only catch Hill’s voice, but Cross’s as well. You would think with this comedic line-up that it would be a non-stop escapade of LOLs and LMAOs.
Unfortunately, the dialogue in this movie is terribly lacking. Beyond a few chuckles and chortles, I didn’t really find the movie funny. It’s so disappointing to get all of these actors together, but not capitalize on their talents (or in the case of Ferrell, his wacky shenanigans). However, I’m not entirely sure that’s what director Tom McGrath (Madagascar) was going for with Megamind. Despite being rated PG and obviously targeted at children, Megamind was a heady piece. There were moments where Megamind would pose existential questions and suffer from identity crises without Metro Man there as the crux that would drive his dastardly deeds. Essentially, the movie poses the idea that a villain without a hero has no purpose in life. While the movie didn’t delve TOO deeply into this notion (instead, leading to the tried and true love and redemption angle), it’s nice to see that some level of deep thinking was put into the story.
Megamind doesn’t deliver the types of jokes (or much of any, really) that you’d expect from this star-studded cast. There are a few visual gags that got a few snickers from me, such as a reference to Donkey Kong. The quality of the animation is great and the colors are really bright and pop out. I’m anti-3D, but if you’re a supporter of the fad, I’m sure you’ll appreciate the vivid picture a lot more than I would have. As great as the cast is in giving character to these characters, Megamind just falls flat on its big, blue, bald head.
5.30 – Bad. (5s are movies that either failed at reaching the goals it set out to do, or didn’t set out to do anything special and still had many flaws. Some will enjoy 5s, but unless you’re a fan of this genre, you shouldn’t see it, and might not even want to rent it.)
It’s so disappointing that Megamind doesn’t live up to the level of entertainment that its cast should warrant. If you’re expecting a lot of laughs, this isn’t the movie you want to turn to. Toy Story 3 is out on home media now… just saying.
