TAKE TWO: Megamind (2010)

Megamind 3D (2010)

Rated: PG

Starring: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill

Director: Tom McGrath, Cameron Hood

There are very few films that tout “3D” that I can walk out of and say, “Man, that was worth it to see in 3D,” and this is one of them. Plus, the rest of the film wasn’t too bad to boot either.

Megamind opens with a similar premise as this year’s Despicable Me, the villain is the protagonist and he is always second best. Megamind (Will Ferrell) is constantly attempting to defeat Metro City’s renowned hero, Metro Man (Brad Pitt), and take over the city. When he finally does, he realizes that without his antagonist his life is pointless and comes up with a plan to scientifically create a new hero, Titan (Jonah Hill), to do battle with. When his plan backfires, the tables are turned and Megamind must find the hero within him before Titan destroys the whole city.

With a lot of animated competition from such films as Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me, I expected to be disappointed with this film, even though the trailers did look pretty humorous. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that not only was it one of the most visually stunning films this year, it delivered a hefty amount of laughs as well.

Will Ferrell has a tendency of over-acting for a laugh, which works in some cases (i.e. Anchorman, Old School), but brings down everyone else around him in others (i.e. Semi-Pro). The role of Megamind allowed Ferrell to allow his more cartoonish nature to flourish and his off-the-wall antics fit perfectly into that world. David Cross also played a great “Minion” and together they made a great comedic duo and carried most of the script on their capable shoulders.

In fact, I think Will Ferrell should be replaced in all his movies with Megamind.

I will talk briefly about the 3D and leave most of it to my esteemed colleague, Pac, who has been chomping at the bit to unleash his torrent of praise. However, I will just say that even with Despicable Me and Toy Story 3 bringing decent 3D to the table this year, Megamind brought the most depth to the screen. There wasn’t a whole lot of stuff breaking the fourth wall, but from the opening shot, it welcomed you into its world with breathtaking visuals. It is definitely worth dropping the extra $3 to see this one.

I also think we should all contribute $3 to Hollywood to ensure 3D crap like this never gets made again.

Even with all it had going for it, it did stumble a bit at times, mainly when Megamind or Minion weren’t talking, which was thankfully fairly little. I think that the script was only mediocre and that there was probably a lot of ad-libbing from Ferrell and Cross that made it as funny as it was. I can definitely recommend this, but it definitely has a very shaky storyline. However, if you are an adult with kids, this one won’t be a painful one to take them to, but will provide a very pleasant diversion. Even if you are an adult without kids, you shouldn’t be embarassed to say you want to see this.

• Characters: A-
• Cinematography (3D): A+
• Directing: B
• Plot: B-
• Performances: A-
• Humor: A-
• Overall: A-

Pac’s Take:

There has been some recent debate in the media between supporters of IMAX and 3D.  I still have the ticket stub for the first IMAX movie I saw, The Dark Knight and I’ve thrown away every stub from every 3D movie I’ve paid to view (Piranha and My Soul to Take to name two).  Naturally, in the IMAX v. 3D debate I’ve sided with IMAX, until I saw Megamind.

Every 3D movie should use Megamind as a guide on how to correctly use the technology.  Beautifully shot with depth and tremendous detail, I couldn’t help but constantly turn to my viewing companions and say, WOW!  TDK was able to utilize IMAX to completely envelope me into the film, and until now no 3D movie was able to capture that feeling.  Metro City felt huge, the crowds seemed endless, and whenever there was flight I had vertigo; the 3D delivered for 95 minutes.

Look, I want to make sure I drive the point home, this is worth the ticket for admission in 3D; SEE THIS MOVIE BEFORE IT LEAVES THEATERS.  Megamind should win at least two Oscars this season, best animated feature and best cinematography.

Unfortunately, I have yet to see Despicable Me but I thought the story of Megamind was fun and refreshing.  The banter between Megamind and Minion was humorous throughout and the plot was fairly original; what would a super-villain do if he defeated the hero?  I did think Tina Fey was poorly used in this film, her dialogue felt stale and at times cliche.  Otherwise I thought Megamind was the perfect animated film.

Why aren't you funny?

Megamind was not the best movie I’ve seen this year, but it was my most enjoyable film experience of 2010.  Here are my grades:

• Characters: A-
• Cinematography (3D): A+
• Directing: A
• Plot: A-
• Performances: A-
• Humor: A
• Overall: A/A+