From the director of Madagascar 1 and 2 comes the hilariously funny Megamind. An unsuccessful super-villain trying to take over the city, but his plans are continually halted by his good-guy nemesis Mega Man, the handsome superhero with a jaw like a brick. But the roles are reversed when Megamind needs to become the hero and instead of destroying the city, he has to save it. Read more after the jump.
Director: Tom McGarth. Screenplay: Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons. Producers: Lara Breay and Denise Nolan Cascino. Editor: Michael Andrews. Cinematographer: Phil "Captain 3D" McNally. McScore: Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer. Starring: (Voice Cast) Will Ferrel, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill and David Cross. Studio: Dreamworks Animation. Running Time: 95 Minutes. Age Restriction: PG.
Megamind (Will Ferrel) was rocketed to earth by his blue coloured, large headed parents, moments before his home planet’s destruction. Metro Man (Brad Pitt), later to be Megamind’s arch nemesis, experienced the same fate as his home planet was destroyed. Hurtling towards earth Metro Man was delivered to very wealthy, loving parents, while Megamind landed in the Metro City prison, where the prisoners adopted him as their own.
As the years passed Megamind grew up to be the most villainous bad guy, using his incredible intellect to develop evil ways of conquering Metro City. He also has a witty sidekick, a fish-like minion (voiced by the hilarious Cross). Metro Man grew up to be a superhero (think Superman; flying, strength, laser beams shooting out of his eyes) and the guardian of the fair Metro City, protecting it from Megamind’s evil ways.
Roxanne (Tina Fey) is the sharp minded reporter that always gets kidnapped by the infamous Megamind and is then predictably rescued by Mega Man, until one day Megamind succeeds in destroying Metro Man and taking over the city.
After the hype of his villainous success passes Megamind realises how incredibly unhappy and bored he is without any opponent to fight, this leads him to create another superhero, Titan (Jonah Hill), so that he could continue his life long obsession of good versus evil. In an ironic twist of fate Titan instead uses his powers to try and take over the City, placing Megamind in the uncomfortable position of playing the good guy and save Metro City from its impending doom.
For me, the moral of the story is about people being placed into a specific mold because of their appearance (Megamind = Evil, Mega Man = Good) and then becoming what others expected, be it good or bad, just as long as its fits into predictable cultural norms. The story teaches us that each person has a choice to either conform to the mold or break free from it and discover his/her true selves, even if it is not what others expected.
VERDICT: According to boxofficemojo, Megamind (released 2010) only grossed $148 million and did not do as well as the other superhero animations, like The Incredibles (released 2004, grossed $261 million) and Despicable Me (released 2010, grossed $251 million). All in all it was a very funny, witty animation, that’s definitely more catered towards teenage and adult viewers, although kids will most likely enjoy it as well. The older audience members will also enjoy the music that plays during the battle scenes; Michael Jackson, AC/DC and Guns ‘n Roses.
Megamind is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.
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