A philosophical Nature VS Nurture debate masquerading as a hilarious kids' movie.

Rating: 8/10 (25 November 2010)

Oh, this is the stuff! What a tremendously enjoyable movie MEGAMIND turned out to be. Sure, the origin story is profoundly unlikely and the denouement is positively unbelievable, but who the hell cares? This movie is fun, fun, fun. And Will Ferrell, as the misunderstood supervillain at its heart, is funny, funny, funny.
The star-studded MEGAMIND tells the story of a criminal mastermind who finally defeats his archnemesis, Metro Man (defender of Metro City -- or, as Megamind styles it, Metrocity) and therefore takes over the running of the town they call home. Of course, there is a reporter in the mix, one Roxanne Ritchi, who is an obsession with our supposed villain, full of moxie and earnestness and voiced ably by Tina Fey. Jonah Hill plays her infatuated and infantile camera man, Hal, with consummate blabbering skill, and his transformation into a spurned sadist by the movie's end is delivered with great relish. David Cross is superlative as Megamind's fish-like minion, the aptly-named Minion, and Brad Pitt is perfectly serviceable as Metro Man.
But the star here is the petulant and accident-prone ramblings of Ferrell as Megamind. His mispronunciations are unendingly amusing, his megalomania is kind of adorable, and his unbridled arrogance is somehow charmingly endearing. He's a lot like KIM POSSIBLE's Dr. Drakken, actually (who is also, I would point out, blue), but is a far more sympathetic character. I mean, he's mindboggling brilliant, but doesn't seem to understand what a "code" for something is. That is SO CUTE. The writing here is top notch, and it is mostly the dialogue he is given that makes this movie really pop, but there can be no doubt that Ferrell brings an instantly likable tone to proceedings that makes MEGAMIND a treat from the very outset.
How tragic, that Ferrell's best performance since Ron Burgundy should come in a movie in which he doesn't even make an appearance.
The underlying theme here is one of Nature vs. Nurture, as one of those Here's the Moral, Kids voice over wrap ups at the end makes all too clear. Redemption is possible, everyone makes mistakes, don't judge a book by its cover, we should all follow our bliss, yadda yadda yadda. Whatever, dude. This year's DESPICABLE ME also sang that song, and it's hardly the first; the anti-hero is certainly nothing new in genre. From The Punisher to Riddick to Dr. Horrible (a debt to whom Megamind surely owes a thing or two; Metro Man, certainly, is at least a spiritual heir to Captain Hammer, with perhaps a little Roger Ramjet thrown in), the trope has been very well explored. What MEGAMIND does is to elevate that concept into the kind of What Next? scenario superhero stories rarely address: what happens when there is no bad guy left to battle anymore? And what if the bad guy wins? What exactly makes a bad guy? And if bad guys don't get the girl, can being a good guy maybe get you some action? (In cartoons, the answer to that is apparently -- and perhaps a little misleadingly -- yes.) Produced by Ben Stiller, this movie also features his voice in a brief cameo as misanthrope Bernard, whose guise Megamind takes on as he woos the oblivious Roxanne. (At least it's not just him with glasses on; and we never do discover if Metro Man has an alter ego. That's a refreshing change!) Some of the movie's most enjoyable moments come about as we watch our blue-skilled supervillain begin to live his own life instead of try to control everyone else's although, none of that can hold a candle to Minion's Oscar-worthy comedy death scene.
I have to say, I've not been previously too enamored of Dreamworks' other animated features. SHARK TALE, MADAGASCAR, KUNG FU PANDA, the recent HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON I didn't hate any of them, but neither did they really win my heart. (And SHREK: blech.) But with this one, I am suddenly a convert to the SKG fold, and can only hope they hold true to form and decide to put out a sequel.
Called MINION.