Rating:3 stars out of a possible 5
Dreamwork's post-HTTYDragon and ShrekFA attempt is not a roaring success, nor is it a failure at all. At this point in the animation game, there are two types of animated-superhero films for cinemagoers: Ones that are "The Incredibles" and those that aren't. It's on the same level as Dreamwork's other offerings,but it still manages to make a small but welcome addition to the major interest in superhero/comic films.
Megamind (Will Ferrel) is fist seen in the film falling to his iminent death over the skyline of Metro City, before he begins telling us his history. As it turns out, he was pretty innocent when he decided to become a supervillain; the poor dude was brought up by inmates, who warped his sense of good and evil, and was shunned by his classmates when he attempted to go to school. From there, we follow our anti-hero as he finally succeeds in death-raying his nemesis Metro Man (Brad Pitt) into oblivion, becomes depressed and bored after taking over Metro City,and then decides to use MM's DNA to invent another do-gooder to combat and rejuvenate himself. Comedy, heartbreak, and superpowered combat ensue.
Like "The Incredibles", this film's genius is it's mixing and messing with the accepted themes and core components of superhero myth. Megamind is destined to be a good guy, but he has built himself a life of evil that he can't walk away from without some effect (in this case, losing his top henchman and best friend Minion). Roxanne Ritchie, the red-hot reporter that Megamind loves to kidnap, is far from another helpless Lois Lane:she is an independent and highly-intelligent, and does not get pushed around by anyone, especially not by a guy with a big blue head. Compared to Megamind, Metro Man is a blunt knucklehead, who even questions his role as guardian and hero of multiple lives. And Jonah Hill's character is actually quite scary when he gets all sinister, rather than the good Megamind intended him to be.
Will Ferrel's hilarious voice work for Megamind includes a high-pitched but still menacing voice, as well as a pretty funny Marlon Brando impression ( "Iiieee aahhhm yuu ffaauthfher" ). All in all, it's still a more-than-worthy effort, and I hope we start seeing more superhero-parodies like this and keep the "Incredibles" torch burning.
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