Both charming and surprisingly smart, ‘Megamind’ is a fast-paced animated adventure about an evil genius who turns over to the good side after his nemesis is defeated. Will Ferrell lends his voice to the film’s protagonist ‘Megamind’, the bad guy with the enormous bulb-shaped blue head, whose rivalry with the insufferably vain superhero Metro Man (voiced by Brad Pitt) dates back to their baby days. When ‘Megamind’ finally vanquishes his longtime rival, he realizes the slack-jawed do-gooder was the yang to his yin, and that life just isn’t fun without an enemy who keeps you on your toes.
Packed with clever one-liners and some funny physical gags, this film parodies your typical superhero film, poking fun specifically at the Superman movies. There are some exciting flying scenes that make good use of 3D, and the animation itself is top class.Tina Fey voices the part of TV news reporter Roxanne Ritchi, who is the object of affection of both Megamind and Metro Man; and Jonah Hill voices the part of her fawning cameraman who Megamind grooms into becoming his next adversary.Consistently enjoyable but in a familiar way, ‘Megamind’ is well worth an evening at the cinemas. Will Ferrell invests our protagonist with a generous dose of spunk, and Brad Pitt sportingly caricatures his squeaky-clean ‘All-American Hero’ image. What separates this film from classics like ‘The Incredibles’ or the ‘Toy Story’ movies, however, is heart. While the characters in this film make for good company during its 96-minute running time, they seem unlikely to arouse the same kind of unconditional affection you feel for Woody and Buzz and Mr Incredible even after all these years.
Nevertheless, I’m going with three out of five for ‘Megamind’. It’s fun while it lasts and you’re not likely to be bored even for a minute.
