Megamind

Megamind belongs to a very particular, very promising subset of recent films, coming from different sources but united by a handful of shared traits. It's not quite the subgenre of what we might call "subversive superhero" films, although yes, Megamind does include spot-on send-ups of the Superman mythology and it blurs distinctions between hero and villain archetypes. It's also something of a little brother to The Incredibles, and, to a lesser extent, live-action comic book revisions like Mystery Men and Unbreakable.

But what I really mean is this: Megamind is an all-ages animated blockbuster that's so across-the-board excellent in its storytelling that it comes reasonably close to attaining  Pixar-like levels of glory, and thus belongs on the shelf beside recent (non-Pixar) classics like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Sony Pictures Animation) and How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks). I doubt that the Pixar crew is worried; they've got enough classics to ensure that they'll be the champs for a long time. But their stranglehold on this kind of filmmaking isn't absolute, and Megamind is a solid contender from the DreamWorks team.

Will Ferrell voices Megamind, David Cross voices Minion

It's one of the better animated flicks from DreamWorks, which also did Monsters vs. Aliens, a far inferior film to this. They also did Kung Fu Panda, the Shrek movies, and Madagascar, and, I'd say Megamind is more satisfying than any of those.

They also did How to Train Your Dragon, and if this film isn't quite as strong as that one, it's at least smart enough to borrow some of its most basic values. There's a clear, simple focus on storytelling that's actually a bit startling: With its roots in a sort of Superman spoof, you'd think Megamind would have pop culture on its brain, but, save for a couple of DC Comics in-jokes and one very funny visual homage to the old Donkey Kong video game, it's devoid of those kinds of references.

It's a movie made with integrity, which means that Will Ferrell is hilarious as the lead voice actor, but he never pushes his schtick so far that it overwhelms his character; it studiously avoids political or faux-psychological pandering, which means that, despite Tina Fey's presence as a gutsy reporter, there's none of the pseudo-feminist bullying of Monsters vs. Aliens; and it is, really and truly, an all-ages movie, no awkward innuendos or cheap-shot bathroom jokes to be found.

Tina Fey voices Roxanne Ritchi

It's also very funny, and its sense of humor reminds me, more than anything, of the cheerful irreverence of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I imagine the folks who made that movie would love this film's Donkey Kong tribute, but also its playful jabs at the Superman tale. There's a hilarious reference, early in the film, to how it seems like the same woman is always being kidnapped by the bad-guys, and it works best if you're a big comic books fan but still plays fine even if you're not.

In terms of content, it most closely resembles The Incredibles. The story begins with Megamind (Ferrell) explaining his Superman-style exile from his home planet, mere seconds before the whole place blew up, and his initial difficulties fitting in with the Earthlings with whom he now shares a globe. At first, he realizes the only thing he's truly good at is being bad—and thus, sets out to become the Metrocity's (pronounced either Metro-City, or like atrocity, depending on who you ask) greatest supervillain.

Brad Pitt voices Metro Man

Of course, there are obstacles in his way. There's the nosy reporter, Roxanne Ritchi (Fey), completely underwhelmed by his evil machinations. And there's Metrocity's own caped crusader, the invulnerable and impossibly handsome Metro Man (Brad Pitt). But Megamind is tenacious, and he eventually perfects a plan that makes the city his.

This opens up a new set of problems, most of them existential. With his arch-rival defeated and Metrocity in his hands, Megamind is supremely bored. He needs a yin to his yang in order to be truly content—and yes, there's a thematic nod to The Dark Knight. So he hatches a new plan: He injects a special concoction of superhero DNA into an unsuspecting civilian (voiced by Jonah Hill) to create Tighten, ostensibly an all-new hero for Megamind to battle. But it doesn't go quite as planned; there's more to being a hero than having the right genetics.

Which brings us to a central theme: Just what is heroism? The film ponders some weighty stuff about free will and fate, about how our roots and our environment shape us, about how society tempts us to conform to certain typecasts, and—perhaps most surprisingly—about the necessity of love in enacting any sort of personal change.

Tighten (Jonah Hill) shares a secret with Megamind

Many will rightly argue that it's less sophisticated than The Incredibles. In that great film, the entire superhero conceit became a metaphor for different roles within the family, and the motif is used a bit more arbitrarily here. That said, the superhero arc is a strong one on which to found a story, and this one is anything but lightweight. There is a wonderful brief scene early in the movie that shows how Megamind and Metro Man come crashing into two very different worlds, and how the environments into which they are born play a big role in shaping their paths. I love the careful balance of forces, internal and external, that force Megamind and Tighten, his created hero, to ask big questions about who they're meant to be. The movie has some surprising plot twists and an unusually organic romance, and balances all these things with, well, a Donkey Kong gag.

Unfortunately, at the end, Ferrell's voice-over narration tells us that it isn't fate but choice that guides our path. It's the sort of heavy-handed summation of what everything we've just seen really means that you won't find in a Pixar movie. So it's not perfect, but it is a lot of fun, more profound than it has a right to be, and, more than anything, a reminder that a rewarding all-ages film doesn't have to be so out of the ordinary.

Talk About It

1. How do you think the film would define "heroism"—and where does it suggest true heroism comes from?
2. Do you think your character is shaped by fate, by our own choice, or both? What does the film suggest about the relationship between these two factors?
3. What kinds of changes do we see in Megamind, Tighten, and Metro Man? Which of them change for the better, and which for the worst? What causes each of them to change?

The Family Corner

Megamind is rated PG for action and some language. The action is all very cartoony, and the language consists only of a couple of words like "freaking," but nothing harsher than that. The film is refreshingly devoid of the crass humor that somehow makes its way into a lot of so-called family movies.

Photos © Dreamworks

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