Genre: Animation
Cast and Credits:
Megamind: Will Ferrell
Roxanne: Tina Fey
Hal/Titan: Jonah Hill
Minion: David Cross
Metro Man: Brad Pitt
Paramount and DreamWorks present a film directed by Tom McGrath. Written by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons. Running time: 95 minutes. Rated PG (for action and some language).
I was swamped with homework the week before “Megamind” was opening in theaters. That same weekend a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to see the movie on opening day at a drive in Movie Theater. I was so excited because I hadn’t been to a drive in for a while so I went. I did not anticipate how cold that it was going to be and I wasn’t looking forward to seeing just another kid’s movie in the freezing weather. I cocooned myself with thick blankets in a camping chair and settled in for a reluctant night. What I didn’t know was that “Megamind” was going to exceed my prior expectations.
From the opening credits, I realized that it had a similar beginning to the original “Superman” movie. Aliens born on a distant planet and packed into a rocket ship and blasted off to Earth just like the Man of Steel. On his way, he meets his lifetime nemesis, a golden child who lands on Earth and in the lap of wealth. The blue child, lands in a prison and is raised by hardened convicts.
The two super-beings are destined to grow up and play crucial roles in nearby Metro City. They are named Megamind (voice of Will Ferrell) from the size of his ginormous blue noggin and Metro Man (Brad Pitt) who is the epitome of perfect. We may remember that in Superman, Lois Lane was reporting his every move, and here the story of the two super beings is covered by a TV reporter named Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey). Roxanne's cameraman, Hal (Jonah Hill,), later morphs into yet a third super-being named Titan who plays a significant role.
Other movies that are similar to “Megaminds’” genre are "The Incredibles" with its superpowers and "Despicable Me" with its villain. "Megamind" even goes so far as naming Megamind's tall fishy sidekick "Minion" (David Cross), like the little yellow Minions who serve the despicable Gru. Megamind grew up like any other innocent child. When he realized that no one was going to accept him or get credit for doing well, he might as well become a villain.
The two super-beings are destined to grow up and play crucial roles in nearby Metro City. They are named Megamind (voice of Will Ferrell) from the size of his ginormous blue noggin and Metro Man (Brad Pitt) who is the epitome of perfect. We may remember that in Superman, Lois Lane was reporting his every move, and here the story of the two super beings is covered by a TV reporter named Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey). Roxanne's cameraman, Hal (Jonah Hill,), later morphs into yet a third super-being named Titan who plays a significant role.
Other movies that are similar to “Megaminds’” genre are "The Incredibles" with its superpowers and "Despicable Me" with its villain. "Megamind" even goes so far as naming Megamind's tall fishy sidekick "Minion" (David Cross), like the little yellow Minions who serve the despicable Gru. Megamind grew up like any other innocent child. When he realized that no one was going to accept him or get credit for doing well, he might as well become a villain.
What I did enjoy were some timely pieces of dialogue that had appropriate comic timing. For example, there is a scene where Hal is trying to impress Roxanne so that they can get romantically involved and he says, “I'm having a party. Got a DJ. Rented a bouncy house. Made a gallon of dip.” Then Roxanne returns with the comment, “I don't really feel like being around a bunch of people.” Then Hal exclaims, “No, no, no. That's the best part... it'll be just like you and me.”
It is a universal truth that a hero requires a villain, and "Megamind" has some fun by getting rid of Metro Man and leaving Megamind bored. Left without an opponent, he loses his passion for evildoing, and actually clones Titan to cure his loneliness. Lots of physically impossible animation action occurs between Titan and Megamind with an unconceived twist. It also seemed like the population of Metro City consists entirely of super-beings, Roxanne, the prison warden and cheering thousands of anonymous humans.
Tina Fey does a lively job with Roxanne, and again I was reminded of "Superman" and Margot Kidder's high-spirited and sassy Lois Lane. This time Roxanne isn't in love with anyone, which is great because they are alien superheroes of self-promotion in the end. In the last quarter of the movie, there are scenes of realization where Megamind finds that he does have a place in this world.
It is a universal truth that a hero requires a villain, and "Megamind" has some fun by getting rid of Metro Man and leaving Megamind bored. Left without an opponent, he loses his passion for evildoing, and actually clones Titan to cure his loneliness. Lots of physically impossible animation action occurs between Titan and Megamind with an unconceived twist. It also seemed like the population of Metro City consists entirely of super-beings, Roxanne, the prison warden and cheering thousands of anonymous humans.
Tina Fey does a lively job with Roxanne, and again I was reminded of "Superman" and Margot Kidder's high-spirited and sassy Lois Lane. This time Roxanne isn't in love with anyone, which is great because they are alien superheroes of self-promotion in the end. In the last quarter of the movie, there are scenes of realization where Megamind finds that he does have a place in this world.
"Megamind" is a great family entertainment and gains some liveliness from clever dialogue and the fun Will Ferrell has with his character. I like the way he pronounces "Metro City" like "metricity," for example. The 3-D is done well, but in my opinion unnecessary because I usually like 2D films because they don’t give me a headache or a wallet-ache. Save the surcharge and see those colors nice and bright.
"Megamind Official Site." MEGAMIND - NOVEMBER 5. DreamWorks Animation, 2010. Web. 13 Dec. 2010. <http://www.megamind.com/>.
I really enjoyed reading this! I like how you started it out but creating a personal sceen. It was really creative and caught me attention because it is not like the beginning of other movie reviews (mine) haha
ReplyDeleteThe rest of it flowed together and you did a good job using imagery to create a picture in my mind.
I agree I thought MegaMind was going to be a stupid movie but when I saw it I was actually suprised at how good it was...I also didn't expect the twist when the evil Megamind became the good guy. I also like how you were honest that you would of liked it better in 2D i would agree because not it's cheaper.
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