MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 : MEGAMIND
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross and Brad Pitt
WRITER: Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons
DIRECTOR: Tom McGrath
WEB SITE: http://www.megamind.com/
THE PLOT: The second animated adventure this year that takes on the superhero genre from the (supposed) villain's perspective, Megamind stars Will Ferrell as the voice of the title character. A big headed blue guy from a galaxy far, far away, Megamind came to earth in much the same fashion as a famed "Man of Steel," complete with a space pod crashing in a rural setting. There's just one problem ...
So did Metro Man (Voiced by Brad Pitt) - and to everyone else, his heroic ways make him the greatest thing in the galaxy.
Growing up as rivals, Megamind and Metro Man have waged epic battles, many of which center around kidnapping Metro City reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Voiced by Tina Fey), much to the chagrin of her camera man (Voiced by Jonah Hill) since he's in love with her. And as is the case with most hero/villain stories, they end up the same way: With Megamind nursing his wounds and swearing that one day he will get his revenge.
With his trusted fish minion (voiced by David Cross) at his side, Megamind comes up with a scheme that is sure to work to defeat Metro Man. But what would he do if the scheme worked a little too well? For if it did, he might not have a rival anymore - and when you've been doing something all your life, dealing with the repercussions of not having it there anymore might lead to some radical life changes ...
If you are anything like Megamind, that is.
THE TAKE: Two of the best movies I've seen* this year have been animated films, one of which dealt with a similar subject matter albeit with a different focus. (The other of course being Despicable Me . Whereas Despicable was a little more focused on the idea of family, Megamind wisely takes a look at a different part of the superhero canon: What would happen if the thing (or as the case may be, person) who has largely shaped and defined what your existence is and means was suddenly gone?
Think about it: Would Los Angeles Lakers enjoy all their titles without the Boston Celtics to battle? Would Batman be as great a superhero if there were no Joker challenging him at every turn? Would Jersey Shore have enjoyed such a successful season if there were no Angelina running around, no Ronnie creeping at the club behind Sammi, no Snooki being Snooki and no Situation instigating trouble? Of course not!
Whereas real world (and not the MTV series of the same name) villains likely don't care about their law abiding counterparts, Megamind exploits an area of traditional superhero stories ripe for the picking: Rivalry, its necessity to any good villian's existence and the self-discovery one can have when they explore life as they know it versus what could be.
Of course, the film also does a good job in exploring ideas such as abuse of power and other conventional superhero fare in a lively animated fashion courtesy of a use of 3D that's actually worth the ticket price. Of course, a good mix of pop culture snipes (look for a visual gag that might strike some more humorously than others depending on what party you were rooting for during election day earlier this week), witty humor and quality voice acting. While Ferrell is often at his best being wacky, he is often able to be understated exceptionally well to make - no pun intended - Megamind a well-rounded character.
Likewise, Pitt is effective as über-goody two shoes Metro Man as is Hill in the role of would-be hero Titan. Of course, it would be a bit remiss to not mention Fey's work in the role of Roxanne and Cross in the role as Megamind's faithful minion, the latter dropping in plenty of good lines of his own and giving his secondary character plenty of quality screen time when he gets the chance. Add them all together and add the swift direction of Tom McGrath and Megamind has all the elements it needs to be a major hit (and deservingly so).
*(I did not see How to Train Your Dragon, but I've heard it was also very good.)
PARTING SHOT: While there are other animated flicks that are funnier, have more heart and utilize their 3D just as well, Megamind proves that the world can always use another hero - especially when they are this entertaining.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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