Megamind

(2010)

Dir: Tom McGrath

 

Let’s be honest, Megamind is the best film of the last few years featuring a blue protagonist. That’s right, James Cameron, I went there.

But enough of the random Smurf bashing, onto the review. Megamind is the large, blue brainchild of Dreamworks Animation and, of course, Will Ferrell. The year just wouldn’t be complete without at least five Ferrell comedies featuring him doing a funny voice. This time, that’s all we have: his funny voice.

Ferrell is Megamind, an alien right out of the Superman mythology, sent to Earth by his parents at a young age. Unfortunately for Mr. Mind, another infant refugee is also jettisoned from this exploding planet, and he just happens to be the much pinker, much more chisel-chinned Metro Man, voiced by Brad Pitt. Whilst Metro Man ends up with the wonderful upbringing, Megamind finds himself raised in a prison, where the case for nurture over nature obviously results in him turning to a life of crime. Unfortunately for Metro City, Megamind is actually able to defeat their great hero one day. But is being the supreme ruler of the world all it’s cracked up to be? For ol’ Blue, apparently not.

If, like me, you thought that Dr. Evil was far and away the best thing to come out of the Austin Powers series, Megamind will probably appeal to you. That is essentially who Ferrell is playing, only with his own comedy voice instead of Mike Myers’. Overall, it’s probably more fun than that other recent supervillain vehicle, Despicable Me, and that is mainly down to its lead. Ferrell’s character trumps Steve Carrel’s Gru at every turn. Plus, for all you wise and clever Arrested Development fans out there, David Cross is utilised far better in Megamind than Will Arnett was in Despicable Me, and that’s never a bad thing.

The animation is nothing spectacular, but it’s perfectly fine. Let’s be honest about these kind of films, as long as the colours are bright and pretty, we honestly don’t care, because we came to see Will Ferrell talk in a funny voice and run into things. Right?

*** / *****

Ron Burgundy’s feeling a bit blue.