Film Review: Megamind

CGI films are the 'it' thing of the day. Such is the frequency with which I am barraged by adverts attempting to sell me the latest edition of an animated, socially dysfunctional penguin who must overcome some sort of adversity before discovering that it has a deliberately obscure people skill, that I have developed a filter. This filter works by ignoring all animated movies unless the word "Pixar" appears next to it. It's a good system which I find it works well. See the latest rendition of Yogi Bear featuring Justin Timberlake as evidence.

Onto Megamind then. Given my filter, why I decided to take the plunge and give this a go is anyone's guess. But I'm glad I did. Taking a leaf from Superman's origins, two beings are shot off into space from their respective dying worlds, only to crashland in Metro City, Earth. One capsule, Metro Man's (Pitt), lands outside the gates of a loving family's home. The other, Metro Man's strange blue nemesis, Megamind (Ferrell), lands in a prison. Destined to clash in the eternal struggle between good and evil, Megamind finds his attempts to take over Metro City continuously thwarted by Metro Man. That is until one day Megamind actually succeeds in destroying Metro Man. With the city's hero out of the way, the novelty of ruling Metro City is soon lost and Megamind finds himself without a purpose. Not helping matters is his secret attraction to reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Fey).

What was probably alluring to me about Megamind was its departure from superhero canon. In a fresh twist, Megamind looks through the glass darkly. How many stories do you see bestow victory upon the bad guy in the perennial battle between good and evil? Indeed, the whole concept is turned upside down as hero Metro Man is portrayed as an unlikable smug git, rather than a humble servant of the people he protects. It is this vain, undeserved swagger which drives Megamind, an unrecognised genius in his own right, to destroy Metro Man. However, once the novelty of being in charge wears off, Megamind finds himself as a yin without its yang, a ping without its pong, the hotdog without its mustard. After all, what's the point of being bad when there's no good to counter you?

What makes this film work so well is its break from the norm. It's something very different. Moreover, I enjoyed the running thematic message it tried to convey by wading into the nature vs. nurture debate. The jokes are great, Ferrell is on fire, and I was surprised by the maturity of the whole affair. Megamind can definitely be classed as one of the better animated films when trying to navigate through Shit Creek without a paddle, which has long since overflowed since everyone started jumping on the back of the Toy Story phenomenon.