Today’s quick review: Megamind. Megamind (Will Ferrell), an evil genius with a losing track record, achieves unexpected success against his lifelong rival Metro Man (Brad Pitt), the egotistical hero of Metro City. With the city under his control, Megamind discovers that winning is not as satisfying as he hoped. To fill the void, he strikes up an incognito relationship with reporter Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey) and trains a new hero (Jonah Hill) to oppose him.
Megamind is a CGI-animated family comedy that flips the superhero genre on its head. Megamind follows the attempts of a bumbling supervillain to win the power and respect he thinks he deserves. The movie takes the basic building blocks of the superhero genre and assembles them into a satisfying, original story. The movie also features a star-studded voice cast, a classic rock soundtrack, and a goofy sense of humor that meshes nicely with the plot.
After a deliberately generic start, Megamind sets about distinguishing itself from the rest of the superhero genre. The gags it introduces early on are worked into the plot in interesting ways. The plot twists the movie throws at the audience are well-considered and effective. The humor is silly without going overboard, and the world feels cohesive enough to support a real story, not just a string of jokes.
Moreover, Megamind himself makes for a surprisingly sympathetic protagonist. His brand of villainy is closer to mischief than actual evil, and he shows the ability to learn from his mistakes, however slowly. He begins the movie as a flat character but grows in depth as the story goes on. Megamind also never loses his sense of competence: For all his failures, he’s actually a tenacious and resourceful thinker.
Give Megamind a shot when you’re in the mood for something light and comedic, particularly if you’re a superhero fan. Megamind goes a step beyond its simple premise to deliver an interesting story and reliably entertaining humor. For a superhero comedy in a similar vein, check out The Lego Batman Movie, The Incredibles, or Sky High.
7.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for good humor, an interesting plot, and surprisingly nuanced characters.