Not many films I have seen open with the protagonist falling to his death. Yet, this attention-grabber is the first image in Dreamworks Animation’s blockbuster film, Megamind.
A few minutes in, super-villain protagonist Megamind (voice of Will Ferrell) continues his narration in a flashback to his infancy. He explains that, along with his servant Minion (voice of David Cross), he was sent away to be saved from the planet’s destruction.
After a skip in the timeline, the audience views an adult Megamind’s current jail cell. On screen is reporter Roxanne Ritchi (voice of Tina Fey) live at the opening of the Metro Man museum.
Using the special watch that allows him to take on the appearance of someone else, the super-villain strolls easily out of prison and kidnaps Roxanne, calling Metro Man (voice of Brad Pitt) to rescue her.
Metro Man finds himself alone after falling for Megamind’s trick. Megamind also inadvertently discovers that the hero’s weakness is copper. Megamind then rushes to city hall to celebrate; with no Metro Man to stop him, he can have anything he wants.
However, boredom soon sets in. He and Minion decide to use DNA from Metro Man to create the essence of a hero. This they would shoot at a mortal to endow him or her with the superhuman powers of Metro Man.
Before using the new toy, Megamind visits the Metro Man museum to talk to a giant statue of the hero, which Roxanne overhears. Megamind dehydrates the grumpy librarian Bernard (voice of Ben Stiller) into a small cube and uses his watch to deceive her. Under the guise of Bernard, Megamind sends Roxanne away.
The next day, to his shock, Roxanne and her cameraman Hal (voice of Jonah Hill) discover his lair. The reporter accidentally fires the hero gun, and its ammunition rushes through pipes and up Hal’s nose.
After Minion quits due to a dispute, Megamind challenges Hal, renamed Titan, who does not show up. The blue man rushes to the hero’s dingy apartment, and a fight ensues. Megamind attempts to contain him in a copper capsule, but he escapes and becomes Metro City’s new, self-proclaimed top villain.
With the artificial hero now evil, Megamind asks for help. He and Roxanne find Metro Man, who — though he has acquired a slight beard and an interest in music (his new “power”) — is very much alive. Metro Man explains faking his own death to escape the demanding life of a superhero. He refuses to return and fight Titan, but urges Megamind to do so.
Overall, director Tom McGrath (also known for Madagascar and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa) did an excellent job in creating believable personalities and actions for the characters.
Hal/Titan, for instance, is shown from the beginning as an impulsive man who has a tendency to throw fits when he does not get his way — especially in his crush on Roxanne. It was only logical that, with the powers, he would do whatever should appear most profitable, enjoyable and least strenuous for him, without regard to the welfare of others.
Megamind, however, is somewhat of a people-pleaser; as a child, he had sought to impress his classmates. As an adult, he had first wanted to be viewed as the best, then began cleaning and bettering Metro City to please Roxanne. Though he had thought himself a villain, the blue man realizes that, with help, he could be the hero. His characteristics show a trait shared among all: the common need to be accepted by those around us.
I also enjoyed the recycling of old ideas into this new and highly entertaining film. The integration of humor and jokes into a story of superheroes and villains reflects techniques used in the 2004 film The Incredibles. It also incorporated the creation of a laughable, lovable bad guy like Gru (Steve Carell) in Despicable Me.
The film was laced with witty humor alongside an interesting plot, and is certainly something I would see again.
Rated PG for action scenes, Megamind is a clean, family-friendly movie and is playing in most local theaters. For tickets and showtimes, visit Fandango.
For more movie reviews, read the Nov. 1 article, ‘Funny Story’ lacks depth, background.
