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

The Other Guys

OPENING: 08/06/2010

STUDIO: Columbia Pictures

RUN TIME: 107 min

ACCOMPLICES:

Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
They’re not heroes — they’re The Other Guys.

Opening Statement
The buddy-cop subgenre is firmly in the sights of director Adam McKay and frequent collaborator Will Ferrell in their new movie, The Other Guys, and while it might not match the heights of absurdity achieved in Anchorman, the pair’s first and perhaps finest cinematic effort, it still stands tall as one of this summer’s funniest entertainments.

Facts of the Case
The two most respected and recognized detectives in New York City are P.K. Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Chris Danson (Dwayne Johnson); having earned their heroic reputations by kicking ass and taking names, destoying millions of dollars in property to nab their perps and getting their names in the press. These preening showhogs bask in the glory while their colleagues, such as forensic accountant Allen Gamble (Ferrell) and hot-headed Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), are left with the reality of doing the paperwork. Meek Allen is happy to maintain this arrangement, but Terry, who has been stuck behind a desk since an infamous incident involving Derek Jeter, lusts to get back on the street, ready for action. After Detectives Highsmith and Danson are unexpectedly indisposed, Allen and Terry find their chance to fill the void when a seemingly innocuous lead from Allen’s file threatens to become the NYPD’s hottest case.

The Evidence
The highest compliment I can pay The Other Guys is that it’s funny, which is more than can be said for many of the so-called “comedies” released these days. The opening chase featuring Highsmith and Danson is outrageously over-the-top, and the contrast when we are introduced to the deskbound world of Allen and Terry perfectly establishes the tone of this parody: the juxtaposing and exploring the inherent absurdity of the buddy-cop movie through the lens of the mundane.

This tonal balance, which admittedly walks a thin line, is best maintained in the first act. The daily harassment of Allen by fellow officers Martin (The Daily Show’s Rob Riggle) and Fosse (Damon Wayans Jr.), the seething anger Terry holds against Allen for his unwillingness to go out on calls, Allen and Terry conducting police business while riding in a Prius — these elements, while greatly exaggerated, are built around grains of realism. These hints of truth enhance the humor by grounding the situations for the audience, allowing for greater shocks at the lengths to which these sketches extend for a laugh; when the rift between Allen and Terry explodes into an argument over combat strategies in the animal kingdom, it may well be one of the most riotous exchanges you’ll hear this year.

But after Highsmith and Danson are sidelined, things begin to falter a bit. The film becomes more focused with its ripped-from-the-headlines scandal plot involving a fraudulent investor (Steve Coogan of Tropic Thunder), which unfortunately adheres too rigidly to the formula it is parodying and is largely uninteresting. Events become predictable and expected, as do a fair number of the jokes. It is arguable that a stronger version of the film would have avoided getting its unsung heroes into the ridiculous predicaments this plot requires, instead focusing entirely on the trials and tribulations of everyday policework in the shadow of the larger-than-life heroes as the anti-buddy cop movie. But The Other Guys isn’t that film, and Ferrell and Wahlberg get into trouble with authority, play “good cop, bad cop,” and hide out from the bad guys to await the final confrontation. In particular, the scenes where an office they hope to investigate explodes and when the two attempt to talk a witness down from a high ledge stand out as two of the film’s low points.

What saves the film from failure is both Ferrell’s innate likability and the moments when it embraces the surreal: Allen’s dismissal of his curvaceous wife (Eva Mendes) as “plain,” the second job held by Michael Keaton’s police captain, a character’s dark collegiate history, and a description of what befalls the aforementioned Prius that is so foul that you will never again hear the phrase “soup kitchen” in quite the same way. These jewels are stark reminders of the hilarious and bizarre alternate universe that McKay and Ferrell created in 2004′s Anchorman, while also cutting through the detritus of the well-worn plot, recalling the freshness of the first act. They keep it afloat, carrying the film past its plodded mechanizations and over the finish line. If the entire film were infused with this boldness, it would flirt with greatness, but as is it provides merely an entertaining ride.

Closing Statement
Despite failing to overcome the formula of the buddy-cop movies it parodies, The Other Guys is bolstered by a fresh first act and enough moments of glittering comedic brilliance throughout to ensure that you will be entertained. Watch it, laugh, and hope that in the future its creators will be given enough free reign to once again give us something extraordinary.

The Verdict
7/10

Land of the Lost

OPENING: 06/05/2009

STUDIO: Universal

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

SOUNDTRACK:

The Charge
Right place. Wrong time.

Opening Statement
Amid a field of lackluster summer movies of 2009, here’s another television property adapted for the big screen no one asked for. Based on the children’s sci-fi serial of the 1970s, Land of the Lost has undergone some cosmetic changes in the reinterpretation for today’s movie audience. The participation of the show’s creators, Sid and Marty Krofft, as co-producers more or less puts the stamp of approval on this pumped up version. Broad jokes and an eclectic mix of cultural references makes it hard to pin down who the intended target audience is.

Facts of the Case
Dr. Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell) proposes a most unique solution to the energy crisis: time traveling to harvest the resources from other dimensional planes. Unfortunately, his idea makes him the laughing stock of the scientific community. Fast forward three years and he’s giving presentations to kids at the La Brea Tar Pits.

With some encouragement from research assistant Holly Cantrell (Anna Friel), Dr. Marshall does build his tachyon accelerator. During a field test of the gizmo, the scientists trigger the greatest localized earthquake ever known and are sucked into another dimension along with survivalist/rafting-ride-guide Will Stanton (Danny McBride). This "Land of the Lost" resembles a dumping ground for all sorts of relics and inhabitants from different time periods, sort of like a cosmic lost and found. If the trio can outwit a T-Rex with a grudge and an army of lizard-men, maybe they can make it back home to become heroes.

The Evidence
A personal frustration of my childhood was never having a resolution to the TV series Land of the Lost. It was difficult enough to get home from school in time to catch the show. Gradually dawning on me the Marshall family wasn’t getting any closer to making it home with each passing episode, I was unaware (watching reruns in the 1980s) the show had stopped production years ago without wrapping up the story. If nothing else, at least this movie provides an ending to the story of our three accidental time travelers.

The Land of the Lost doesn’t quite bring back adolescent memories, as the fast-paced adventure-comedy breezily touches on key elements from the series. Managing to stay within the limits of the PG-13 rating, the jokes and innuendo are geared for a slightly older audience than the original. Viewers who remember the source will be a little surprised by how much these characters have grown up.

A significant change is that the three human characters are no longer a father and his two children. Once the young daughter with pig tails, Holly is now an adult woman who, predictably, supplies the romantic interest to Ferrell’s Dr. Marshall. Older brother Will is now a trailer trash slob. Even Chaka (Jorma Taccone), one member of a primate species, has been given a makeover. No longer a childlike playmate, Chaka has attitude and can be quite mischievous — he’s all hands when he first meets Holly. As for the Sleestaks, who gave me the creeps when I was young, remain the slowly shuffling non-threat they always were.

The performances are serviceable. While Friel’s Holly is sexy and smart, and McBride’s Will is blunt and practical, this is a showcase for Ferrell, who steps away from the man-child roles he’s been milking to play an arrogant mad scientist. Despite evidence his brand of science is sure to get them all killed, Marshall remains adamantly sure of his expertise. Perhaps we should cut him some slack, since he’s actually built a time machine. Ferrell does the lovable idiot thing very well and I enjoyed his portrayal of the underappreciated genius.

Into this dimensional anomaly where time’s junk has been tossed, there’s also a wide range of pop culture references. A moment that brings to mind the Flintstones might be expected where dinosaurs are present, but an impromptu rendition of Cher’s “Believe” also finds a nice fit among the gags. At the screening I attended, no one else laughed at this particular joke, but evading your enemy by running serpentine is timeless comedic advice. Add in some funny special effects and there are worse excuses for getting out of the sun. Curiously, the two biggest potential gross-out laughs happen off-screen.

Closing Statement
The flimsy story comes off the rails in the third act, but then again the science in Land of the Lost is more suspect than the black holes in Star Trek. This isn’t an adventure-comedy for the ages, but an enjoyable summer distraction which got more than a few chuckles out of me.

The Verdict
6/10