Megamind

OPENING: 11/05/2010

STUDIO: DreamWorks Animation

RUN TIME: 96 min

ACCOMPLICES:

Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
A superhero movie with a mind of its own

Opening Statement
DreamWorks Animation is suddenly a top-tier studio, capable of rivaling even the best of Pixar. While they have dished out their fair share of duds, such as last year’s Monsters vs. Aliens , the scale on which they set their canvases is quite spectacular. What they lack in heart and soul they make up for with dazzling action, witty pop culture references and A-list voice talent. Pixar may have the animation world by the balls, but DreamWorks is not far behind. And with the one-two punch of last summer’s How to Train Your Dragon and now Megamind, they’re proving they can dish out quality entertainment at an alarmingly swift rate.

Facts of the Case
Megamind (Will Ferrell) is an evil super villain in the vein of Lex Luthor, who spends his days battling local superhero Metro Man (Brad Pitt). The two are bitter rivals, arriving on earth under similar circumstances to vastly dissimilar results.

After years of fighting, Megamind suddenly wins, much to his (and everyone else’s) surprise, offing Metro Man in high style. The local denizens, including plucky reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey) are forced to endure a world without their beloved star, under the rule of the dastardly blue-tinted villain. All’s well that ends well, right? Not exactly.

Megamind finds himself bored, missing the exciting life Metro Man provided. In a flurry of panic, he channels Metro Man’s abilities into nerdy cameraman Hal (Jonah Hill) and creates another superhero, who calls himself Titan. Things turn dicey, however, when Megamind falls for Ritchi, utilizing an assumed identity to win her heart. Problem is, Hal/Titan has eyes for the reporter too, and turns into a proverbial madman Hell-bent on gaining her affection. An epic dual ensues as Megamind must somehow save the day, discover his true self and win the heart of his lady.

The Evidence
Megamind is terrific entertainment told with energy, pizzaz and heart. I absolutely loved every second of it. The voice cast is top-notch with Ferrell in particular lending depth to the titular bad guy/hero. His is an intriguing character, one who gets what he wants, only realizing too late that what he needs lies elsewhere.

Megamind, you see, is like all super villains–power hungry, smart, but ultimately standing on the wrong side of morality. I’ve often wondered myself what Lex Luther would do in a world without Superman. Would he simply take over? Would he be bored? While villains may hate the heroes who defy them and vice versa, a certain level of respect from both parties is vital to the battle. As the Joker explains to Batman in The Dark Knight, “You complete me.” Good and evil must co-exist–one cannot survive without the other.

And so Megamind, upon defeating the “yang” to his ”yin”, is left in control of the city for which he fought so hard. He is bored, nervous and unresolved. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” he solemnly says to a statue of Metro Man, producing a detonator in the process. “But I still have to blow you up. No offense, you just bring up too many bad memories.”

Ferrell’s craft has been anchored in a sort of juvenile irony. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. He’s always funny, even in the ill-received Land of the Lost where he played a clueless scientist stumbling around various dimensions, but oftentimes he is too over-the-top for his own good. Here, every line is delivered in pitch perfect style. Ferrell’s Megamind may be an evil villain, but he’s also a lonely soul seeking a genial purpose. The actor provides a delicate blance between the two, infusing the character with wit, style and a sympathetic soul. Wait ’til you get a load of his Marlon Brando-as-Jorel impersonation. Funny stuff, I tell ya. 

Likewise, the always reliable Tina Fey and Jonah Hill contribute some terrific voice work of their own. Fey finds a strong Lois Lane-ish character in Ritchie, with deft comic-timing and an equally ironic tone that matches Ferrell perfectly. These two would do wonders in a live action film together. Hill, meanwhile, has the nerdy slob routine down to a science. His character is a dunce who is suddenly greeted with great power, which he abuses tenfold. As his abilities increase, so does his rage. Not to a frightening level, mind you (this is still a kid’s film after all), but it reaches a point that allows for some dramatic intensity.

That’s what is so great about DreamWorks. They’re not afraid to push the envelope a little. Pixar’s films exhibit a playful quality, basking in human emotions, careful to never dive too deep lest they scare off the target audience. DreamWorks explores adventure, excitement and genuine thrill. The studio takes chances, provides an edge. Their films may not make you cry, or win Oscars for that matter, but they offer crowd pleasing entertainment to the highest degree.

The visuals on display in Megamind are jaw-dropping, and some of the best I’ve ever seen in an animated film. Megamind and Metro Man soar through the sky, topple buildings and wreck havoc on a massive scale. It’s all in good fun, to be sure, but also quite electrifying in execution. Director Tom McGrath stages some impressive set-pieces, one of which sees Megamind and Ritchie attempting to outrun a falling skyscraper whilst riding a jet-propelled motorcycle. The animation is stunning in detail, vibrant in color and epic in scope.

Those seeking comedy will enjoy the sly one-liners writers Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simmons (both making their Hollywood debut) come up with. Their script is polished and fresh; simple, but bracing, in the vein of the original Shrek and last year’s Kung Fu Panda. Here the characters believably interact with one another. Not all of the jokes work, mind you, but for every dud there are several memorable quips (“Get back you savages!”).

On the negative side, I didn’t enjoy the fish guy, Minion. He felt out of place and wrong for the film. David Cross supplies his voice, but the character just never gelled for me. Visually he is an oddity. A try-too-hard bit of comedy that unfortunately falls flat. He disappears for much of the film and you don’t really miss him.

Another gripe is the music. I’m all for pop-culture lending voice to a film, but the onslaught of pop tunes is something DreamWorks can’t seem to shake. Within every single one of their movies are moments where the characters dance, or sing along to the likes of Michael Jackson, AC/DC or Elvis. A little music never hurt anyone, but enough is enough.

I would’ve liked to have seen Metro Man get some more screentime as well. Pitt laces the hero with a cocksure attitude that might’ve made an interesting film on its own. As is, the character is vital to the story, but not in the way you might expect.  

Aside from those nitpicks, I would say this is flawless entertainment. Everything (aside from the fish) just clicks. It’s telling that I walked into Megamind in a bad mood (the trailers for Yogi Bear and that Justin Bieber biopic didn’t help), and found my spirits lifted quite quickly.

Megamind is a great film. Ferrell, Fey and Hill are hilarious. The animation is superb, the story engaging. Even the 3D is cool (but still slightly awkward), especially during the climatic action scenes. Those who want slow ruminations on life can go watch Up or Wall-E. Fine films to be sure, but I happen to like my ‘toons bright, cheery and full of action-packed adventure.

Closing Statement
Megamind is exciting entertainment through and through thanks to incredible animation, and fantastic vocal work from its all-star cast. DreamWorks is slowly but surely emerging as the animation studio to beat.

The Verdict
9/10

Monsters vs. Aliens

OPENING: 03/27/2009

STUDIO: DreamWorks

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
The Weird Will Save The World.

Opening Statement
In my review of Kung Fu Panda, I suggested that Dreamworks might be getting on the right track with their animated films. Sadly, Monsters vs. Aliens is a wheezy, unimaginative outing that represents a significant step back.

Facts of the Case
Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is a happy woman. She’s about to get married to the love of her life, a local television weatherman named Derek (Paul Rudd). I mean, things aren’t exactly perfect and Derek can be a little self-serving at times, but she figures it will work out okay in the end. Unfortunately, something terrible happens on her wedding day. A giant meteor falls from the sky and lands on top of Susan. Miraculously, the impact does not kill her. Instead, it causes a strange chemical reaction turning Susan into a 50-foot-tall woman with super-strength. Right on cue, the U.S. Military swoops in, shoots Susan with a tranquilizer dart, and whisks her away to a secret facility housing other “monsters.”



Susan is frightened, at first, but her time in this strange prison is made a little more bearable by the unusual friends she makes. One of is Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), a brilliant scientist who just so happens to have the body of a cockroach. She also meets the Missing Link (Will Arnett), a half-ape/half-fish evolutionary oddity. Finally, there’s B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), a gelatinous, seemingly indestructible blob severely lacking basic intelligence. All of these misfits yearn for freedom but alas, it seems they will never get to be part of the real world again.



A ray of hope arrives in the form of an evil alien squid named Galaxar (Rainn Wilson) who sends a destructive robot to Earth in search of a substance called Quantonium. The President of the United States (Stephen Colbert) attempts to reach out to the robot, by playing the theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The robot responds with violence. This is the bad news. The good news is the monsters can earn their freedom, if they defeat the alien robot. Under the command of the blustery General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland doing an R. Lee Ermey impression), Susan, Dr. Cockroach, Missing Link, and B.O.B. will attempt to save the world.

The Evidence
I viewed Monsters vs. Aliens in IMAX 3D, which is supposedly the optimal way to experience the film. The movie was made using the new Tru3D process, and the IMAX theatre provided pristine picture and sound. For the first ten or fifteen minutes, I marveled at the sheer spectacle of it all, and found myself having a rather good time. However, once the gimmicks and initial thrills wore off, I was disappointed to discover the movie lying underneath all the technical achievements wasn’t particularly good.



Monsters vs. Aliens is one of the most straightforward and simplistic animated features I’ve seen in some time. If you can’t figure out the plot, well, you probably shouldn’t be going to the movies. Basically, aliens attack and monsters fight them. Limp pop culture references are made, along with a tired message about being confident in yourself and getting rid of people in your life who try to bring you down. It’s rarely a good sign when a screenplay is co-written by five people, but Monsters vs. Aliens isn’t messy, just thoroughly routine. Your decision to see the film should be based on the answer to the following question: Are you willing to pay ten bucks to see CGI battles in 3D? If yes, then you’ll be entertained by a generous level of noise and chaos. If you’re hoping for another heartwarming story with memorable characters like Kung-Fu Panda, you’ll be sorely disappointed.



The most surprising thing about Monsters vs. Aliens is the sheer lack of humor throughout. The voice cast is loaded with very funny people: Colbert, Rudd, Wilson, Rogen, Arnett, and Laurie have all made me laugh heartily on numerous occasions. Here, their respective brands of side-splitting comedy are buried under a pile of thoroughly ordinary writing. The screenplay doesn’t go for as many laughs as you might expect but, when it does, the jokes often fall flat. Consider the following line from Missing Link: “Hey, has the Earth gotten hotter? That would be something really interesting to know about. That information would be a very convenient truth.” Yeah, I’m dying here.


Closing Statement
Though the film is crafted with the utmost professionalism and rarely approaches any genuine awfulness, Monsters vs. Aliens is strictly lightweight kiddie fare. Young viewers who want to see things go boom for 90 minutes will be satisfied. For most everyone else, Monsters vs. Aliens may well represent the weakest Dreamworks outing since Shark Tale. Too bad.

The Verdict
5/10