Megamind Review: DreamWorks’ Homerun Formula has a Lot of Juice Left in It

In the modern Netflix queue genre of “irreverent computer-animated hero comedy”, DreamWorks Animation has carved a Galactus-sized niche for themselves with repeated critical and financial home runs. Megamind is the studio’s latest submission to the oeuvre and with one of their biggest sluggers at the helm, Tom McGrath of the billion-dollar Madagascar franchise, DreamWorks has again worked their winning formula to near perfection. Visually stunning, incredibly detailed animation? Check. Self-absorbed, glittering, Johnny Bravo-shaped superhero? Check. Megalomaniacal, bumbling, Steve Jobs/Wile E. Coyote hybrid supervillian? Check. Breezy, familiar narrative that resonates with all ages? Check. A veritable Super Friends cadre of celebrity voice talent? Quintuple-check. While ticking all of the genre boxes so effortlessly could easily translate into a prosaic stroll through an animated backdrop, Megamind manages to avoid this pitfall through charismatic performances, efficient pacing, and enough slight twists, chuckles and cultural references to stay compelling over the entire 96 minute running time.

The story by Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons recounts the comically inadvertent rise of the titular main character, Megamind, from bumbling super-nuisance to accidental hero. Like many films in this genre, light-hearted winks and nods to other superhero movies can be found everywhere, particularly in the opening flashback when we are first introduced to Megamind (voiced brilliantly by Will Ferrell), and his eventual nemesis Metro Man (Brad Pitt) as infants both hurtling towards Earth after being jettisoned from an alien planet beset by certain, unarticulated doom. Sound familiar? When we next see the boys as adolescents, their vastly differing social circumstances play out in schoolhouse politics as the shy, bulbous-headed, super-genius teen Megamind, repeatedly fails to outshine teen Metro Man, now a super-powered, preppy peacock from John Hughes central casting. As time progresses, embittered by an inability to parlay his supreme intellect into the level of adoration enjoyed by Metro Man who grows into a beloved superhero, Megamind instead commits his brainpower to achieving the height of infamy as a supervillian, a role he inhabits with all the zeal, histrionics…and pyrotechnics of a professional wrestling heel. Naturally, Megamind and Metro Man are locked in an eternal paint-by-numbers struggle, typically commencing with Megamind kidnapping Metro Man’s favorite trap-fodder, investigative reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey), and concluding with Megamind’s elaborate trap-du-jour in ruins and Metro Man carting him off to jail. The pattern is so routine in fact, that when one of Megamind’s schemes seemingly succeeds in finally ridding the city of Metro Man, Megamind’s genuine confusion and amazement is palpable.

Megamind’s confusion yields to euphoria, which eventually yields to boredom and depression at the realization that the adversarial tete-a-tete he shared with Metro Man is what gave his life purpose. There is something mildly amusing…and mildly masochistic about Megamind reminiscing over his daily pummeling, but I’m sure that will fly over the heads of this film’s intended audience. Equally amusing, and perhaps humanizing, is the fact that Megamind first attempts to fill the Metro Man-sized hole in his heart with a woman, Roxanne Ritchi specifically, wooing her in a humorously deceptive manner that appalls even his dedicated minion, the aptly-named, Minion (voiced by the excellent David Cross). When his deception begins to unravel, Megamind creates a Metro Man-like superhero named Titan (Jonah Hill) for his own amusement and to help everyone relive the good old days of witty super-banter and weekly super-throwdowns. Predictably, this proceeds disastrously as well, and Megamind is forced to become the one thing he loathes the most in order to prevent the complete destruction of his lifelong home Metro City.

Before the first line of dialogue is spoken in this film, you can see that you are in for a treat. The animation in this film is superb, and the level of detail is absolutely staggering. It is so detailed, in fact, that the realism of the opening scene sunset shown over a body of water made me question momentarily if I stumbled into the wrong theatre. The bright colors and rounded character elements that typically characterize animated children’s movies are present, of course, backed by an impressive supporting cast of faithfully reproduced reflections, shadows, buildings and urban decay that rival City of Heroes for punctiliousness. Sharp attention to detail is clearly a recurring theme in this film’s production values, and it extends to the character models and the script as well. Most computer animators discovered long ago that the eyes are the centers of expression (study up, Robert Zemeckis), and the incredible range of subtle emotion these characters are able to produce through their eyes and facial expressions really goes a long way to keeping you enthralled. Through the convincing performances and settings, the director and writers are able to create an environment in which almost all of your questions are answered visually on-screen; a feat rarely seen in animation or live-action films. How did he slice that bus in half? Take a gander at the huge saw on his wrist. How can that guy fly all of a sudden? Check out the small jet pack strapped to his back. How does he know where he left his car if it is invisible? He doesn’t. As an animated superhero feature, the film is obviously not without its flights of fancy (did the death of Gwen Stacy pop into anyone else’s head as Roxanne Ritchi is being slung about by Tighten? Anyone?), nor should it be. By virtually eliminating the need for exposition, however, these touches gave the film a realistic feel and helped it maintain a fun, efficient pace that never felt forced or bogged down.

Keeping things light and fun is important in a film whose central premise revolves around the ostracism and paradoxical retreat from accepted mores in order to gain acceptance of the main character, and Megamind lithely dances across these heavier social themes while achieving its laughs. There are several teaching moments in the film, such as when Megamind finally realizes that his actions make him a villain, not his upbringing, or when Titan realizes that money and power do not automatically equal love, put the film is never preachy or idyllic. Depending on your post-racial orientation and level of cynicism, you may find it interesting to note that throughout the film, McGrath and the writers seemed to have consciously steered clear of any indications that Megamind is disliked solely because of his odd physical appearance. Rather, he is always shown orchestrating some grand catastrophe, be it accidental, or deliberate that causes people to recoil. In other words, the film makes it pretty clear that Megamind is socially-inept first and a blue-skinned alien second; sort of like a Daffy Duck to Metro Man’s Bugs Bunny. The film also plays with the concept of celebrity vs. infamy and the role the press plays in the sustaining of both, as well as the classic yin and yang of good balancing evil, or as I like to call it, “if I’m bad all by myself, does anybody hear it?”

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. While it did not have me rolling in the aisles with laughter, the product as a whole made me smile and chuckle through the entirety of the film. I usually am indifferent to big-name voice talent as a simple theatre-filling gimmick, but the cast that DreamWorks put together for this film definitely lent their individual personalities to the characters, and I can honestly say that it made me enjoy it that much more knowing who was behind the microphone. After two weekends at the top of the box office returns, it is clear that DreamWorks’ homerun formula has a lot of juice left in it, and hopefully Megamind can look forward to that most important of all superhero movie elements: the sequel.