Megamind is the Charlie Brown of super villains.

Rating: 8/10 (23 December 2010)

I am so glad that animated movies are coming back into their own. In the past few years we've seen some really good ones like Despicable Me and How to Train Your Dragon and now we have Megamind. The animation is great but what gets this film 4 stars is the fact that while the animation adds to the movie, it is only one aspect of the film's appeal. The dialog and characterization are strong too.
It is, of course, the thinly disguised story of Superman, but told from his arch enemie's(Lex Luthor) point of view. It's also a look at what happens when society fails a child who just doesn't fit neatly into a pigeon hole. Because Megamind is different than his peers(because of his looks and intelligence) he relates to them a bit awkwardly which in turn makes him feel even more different and alienated. At some point he reasons that if he is treated like a bad kid, that he might as well be a bad kid, and " MegaMind, incredibly handsome criminal genius and master of all villainy! " was born.
Megamind is also pretty even handed. When characters in this movie are bad,or cowardly, or act in ways that are beneath them, it's for an understandable human reason. I think the movie makes the argument that if people could reach a more mutual understanding of each other, then we might be able to start to eliminate much(but not all) of the evil and misery in this world. It has real heart That's just the underlying philosophy though. It's nowhere nearly as preachy as I might be making it sound. The movie is peppered with cool references to various Superman incarnations and plenty of humor.The animation is fantastic, especially Megamind's "Death Blimp". I saw it for the first time with a huge audience which consisted of both older animation fans and young families and everyone had a great time. I looked around occassioanlly and saw people of every description laughing through out the movie. There is something for everyone to enjoy in Megamind. It's a guaranteed good time for anyone with a heart beat.(Honestly, even the undead would probably crack a smile here and there.)