Film Review: MegaMind - "I Make Bad, Look So Good"

Directed By: Tom McGrath , Cameron Hood

Cast: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Brad Pitt, David Cross, Justin Theroux

We have all seen a clichéd hero-villain plot where the good guy always beats the bad guy and of course gets the girl. Have you ever wondered what would happen if the super-villain won for a change?

That’s exactly what screenwriters Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons asked themselves when they came up with the initial concept for Megamind, the animated adventure from DreamWorks being released on December 5th.

Megamind is a satirical take on the superhero genre focusing on a down-and-out super villain (voiced by Will Ferrell) who finally destroys his arch nemesis, Metro Man (Brad Pitt) during one of his many botched hostage plots involving news reporter Roxanne (Tina Fey), who may remind you of Lois Lane from Superman.

Lost and depressed without an enemy, he creates a nemesis, turning to Roxanne's lonely cameraman Hal (Jonah Hill) into Metro City's next big superhero, Tighten.

Unfortunately for Megamind, Tighten turns into one of the biggest villains who decide to utilize his new power against humanity as revenge for the lifetime of rejection he has endured for years. Megamind is left undecided; can he defeat his own diabolical creation? Will the evil genius become the unlikely hero of his own story? Will the super villain get the girl, this once?

Besides the noticeably A-list voice cast, Megamind is written by Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons who take in their dexterous plotting that guarantees there’s never a dull moment while director, McGrath takes good care that the action doesn’t cross the line from the energetic to the simply exhausting.
Overall, the film stands as one of the best arguments in favor of 3D over the past couple of years that feels like mature, restrained, even natural use of the technique.

Moreover, if Megamind lives up to expectations, audiences can be sure that there will be a follow-up adventure. “I think Megamind creates a world that has a lot of possibilities story wise,” said McGrath in his interview with comicbookmovie.com.

“There are a lot of stories you can tell from the point of view of the villain other than just the relationship between good and evil.”

(This article was originally published in PR1 Magazine, Entertainment Section on 29th November 2010)

PR1 is University of Central Lancashire's Student Magazine.

To read issue: http://issuu.com/jamesbutlin/docs/pr1issue61