Superman Never Had This Much Fun

Movie Review: Megamind (2010)
Spoilers: none

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Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, and Jonah Hill star (voice) in the sensational, Superman-slamming 3-D action-comedy, Megamind.

With a lot to offer everyone, this moving story about two orphaned aliens that arrive on earth and grow to become hero and villain is packed full of refined Dreamworks-quality animation and enough excitement to render the 3-D aspect totally unneeded.

Arriving on earth to escape doom on their home world, Megamind (Ferrell) and Metro Man (Pitt) are given very different upbringings. Drawing the short end of the stick on fortune and in the throws of despair, Megamind vows to become the greatest super-villain of all time. But when the opportunity for world domination arises, the sharply ambitious Megamind finds himself in want. His perspective further shifts when he meets a spit-fire reporter, Roxanne Ritchi (Fey) and creates his own new nemesis, Tighten (Hill), presenting a whole new set of challenges.

Megamind is crafty and delightful, always managing to stay one step ahead of its audience, and with plenty of surprises. Ferrell’s passion and Fey’s enthusiasm are as evident as Jonah Hill’s vibrant rhythm in a character that bears close resemblance to the actor himself.

The colorful clashes of personality and clever plot don’t allow it to dodge the glaring criticism that it borrows a bit too much from other recent animated works (i.e. Despicable Me). The mimicking ray guns, minions, and Grinch-like personality is a towering detraction from this potentially A-quality film, but it scores high enough to absorb the blow and keep on moving.

Megamind is lightly humored as it softly parodies Superman and all things “super,” with powerful commentary on the nature and identity of both hero and villain. This, by itself, makes it a heroic addition to the Dreamworks line-up.

(JH)

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Grade: B+ (3 ½ stars) Recommended!
Rated: PG (for action and some language)
Director: Tom McGrath
Summary: Two orphaned aliens arrive on earth and grow to become hero and villain.
Starring: Will Ferrell "Megamind" (voice), Brad Pitt "Metro Man" (voice), Tina Fey "Roxanne Ritchi" (voice), Jonah Hill "Tighten" (voice), David Cross "Minion" (voice), Justin Theroux "Megamind's Father" (voice), Ben Stiller "Bernard" (voice), Jessica Schulte "Megamind's Mother" (voice), Tom McGrath "Lord Scott / Prison Guard" (voice)
Genre: Animation / Comedy / Family
Trailer

Comments

  1. Jonah Hill's character's name is "Titan," not "Tighten." And I disagree that the 3D was unnecessary. I thought this movie lent itself well to 3D because of the flying sequences and the scenes on top of the skyscraper.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nothing wrong with some healthy disagreement on the 3D aspect. As for the spelling, the press kit and the IMDB page have it as "Tighten." I did stop to wonder about that, too.

    (JH)

    ReplyDelete

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