Good Story, Great Characters, Big Laughs

Rating: 7/10 (16 November 2010)

This movie is not as good as other Dreamworks animated movies, but is still very good. I don't think the kids will like it as much as the adults. The themes explored are a little "dark" and the characters are quite layered and complex (for an animated movie), which is what I really liked about it, but I think it's a turn off for younger children. The humor is also geared more towards adults (probably 35+), as is the music. For me, I was vigorously laughing and slapping my knee during a "tribute" to Marlon Brando. I don't think many kids are familiar with the reference. It made it funnier for me having recently seen the Bluray version of Superman 2, with never before seen footage of Marlon Brando.
I do have to mention, as someone else did, that I was disappointed with how much Megamind looked like Gallaxhar (from another Dreamworks movie: Monsters vs Aliens). They are both blue with giant heads. You would think that if you are designing an alien, you basically could get as creative as you want, so why simply replicate another character? Still, Megamind is a great character. The best villains are always the ones who have things about them that you like or can relate to. There is plenty of that in this character. As a matter of fact, all the main characters have something about them that is unexpected, except for one.
The biggest disappointment in the film was the character of Roxanne. I know she was designed to be a regular person, but that doesn't mean they had to design her to look so uninteresting and plain. I was amazed with how expressive Megamind's face was, yet Roxanne's character looked so bland. Tina Fey added absolutely nothing to the character, which is exactly what happened when she voiced a character in Ponyo. This woman is supposedly so funny, yet that hasn't been seen (or heard) on the big screen. Everyone else did a great job (David Cross was his usual awesome self).
By the way, shame on you Dreamworks for releasing a scene that basically gives away the biggest twist in the movie. Thanks a lot!