Villain as hero

Rating: 7/10 (27 November 2011)

The blue-skinned, bulbous-headed, shape-shifting, malapropism-spouting space-creature known as Megamind (Will Ferrell) prides himself on being the baddest bad guy around. His arch nemesis Metro Man (Brad Pitt), also a creature from beyond this world, is a squeaky-clean, universally beloved superhero who literally walks on water and keeps thwarting the plans Megamind has for ruling Metro City (which he mistakenly pronounces "metrocity"). When Megamind, much to his own surprise actually, manages to do away with Metro Man in a contentious battle-to-the-death, he begins to realize that being a villain isn't all it's cracked up to be without a worthy hero to call an opponent. Thus, Megamind hatches a plot to clone another Metro Man figure out of some remnants of the dead hero's DNA. But Megamind gets more than he bargained for when his creation comes to life.
Though "Megamind, " directed by Todd McGrath, has the distinction of being one of the only family-oriented animated films ever to feature a bad guy as its main character, the movie may be too cerebral and esoteric to completely enthrall children and too undisciplined and gimmicky to appeal all that much to adults. Still, the movie has a clean, sparkling look, filled with a whole host of futuristic devices in the foreground and stunning cityscapes in the background, and it moves fast enough to keep its audience focused on the screen for the duration. It also features the voice of Tina Fey as the Sweet Polly Purebred-type TV news reporter who is a constant bone of contention between Metro Man and Megamind - and Jonah Hill and Ben Stiller add their own vocal support in minor but key roles. And the script by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons contains an interesting subtext about the rewards and sacrifices that come with being both a hero and a villain, a subtext that brings an added dimension to the movie.