Moviegoers tend to go for the classic good-over-evil when it comes to superhero films. That’s how we like it. The hero saves the world. The bad guy gets punished. We go home happy. But “Megamind” changes all that.
Will Ferrell plays the title character, an alien who becomes evil because he thinks it’s the only thing he’s good at. Brad Pitt plays the nemesis Metroman, the classic all-around good guy superhero with a rock star attitude. But despite those predictabilities, this movie is more than the story of Megamind’s attempt to destroy the city and Metroman’s quest to save the day and get the girl.
The difference is the emotional focus. Megamind narrates the story, so he’s the one the audience connects with. Even while he admits that he is evil, you can’t help feeling sorry for him. And when he loses his evil purpose, propelling the film’s plot, we’re more than happy to go with his plan to find himself.
The actors blended so well with their characters that they didn’t seem like they were the mere voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill or Brad Pitt behind microphones. Ferrell’s proud yet insecure tone for Megamind and Pitt’s macho superhero intonation for Metroman were nothing short of excellent. Hill’s pathetic and slightly-psychotic tone for his character worked when his character was normal, creepy, angry or insane.
Action is a must in any good superhero movie and “Megamind” had plenty of it. Explosions and crashing buildings came along with the battle scenes. Megamind took his presentation as a villain seriously, giving the audience an eye-full of rich and vibrant effects. And, of course, the animation was stunning. While the characters still looked like “cartoons” their movements and expressions were human.
The best thing about “Megamind” was its Superman-in-reverse plot. It turned and looped until it had nothing else to do but turn Megamind into the character you knew you were going to love in the first place. Perhaps the best part was that there were no emotional plot holes. The film never gave way to sappy sentimentality or unneeded emotional close ups. Every emotion had a purpose within the story and the characters’ motivations and wants were so well-developed that empathizing with them (or strongly disliking them) came naturally. I didn’t have to guess what was going on.
The only thing that disappointed me was that it wasn’t as funny as I hoped it would be. There were some good moments such as Metroman and Megamind’s witty banter in the middle of a fight and the way Megamind mispronounces words and is overly dramatic. But I left the theater feeling it could have been even funnier.
However, dust off your action figures and get ready to fall in love with superheroes again because “Megamind” will meet even your strictest superhero movie standards. Don’t wait until it comes out on DVD to enjoy it. Splurge on the 3-D glasses and maybe an IMAX screen because this film is mega amazing.
