Megamind shows the villain side of the traditional hero-against-villain story.
Artwork by Hayden Johnson
As a fan of superhero movies, I’ve seen some of the best and worst good vs. evil flicks. Some of them can only be used as a reference when discussing how low Hollywood can go, whereas others deserve a place in a movie hall of fame. Megamind is a great hero movie that I would rank at about an 8 out of 10. The casting for this movie was spot-on; I forgot that it was Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, and Brad Pitt playing the main characters because I was entranced by the story they told. It was the story of a villain who chose to be evil because the role of chiseled-good-looks hero was already taken.
The story of DreamWorks’ Megamind managed to capture me to the point that I was rooting for the bad guy. The clichéd good versus evil motif is injected into this movie as prescribed by Hollywood, but the story focuses on the underdog, Megamind (Will Ferrell, The Other Guys). His plans fail every time, but he never gives up, which endears him to the audience.
Megamind was shipped off from his home world at eight days old, and coincidentally a nearby planet also sent off an infant at the same time. They both landed on earth, where Megamind’s new nemesis was raised in a fancy home, while prison inmates raised Megamind. In the early stages of their conflict we see that Metro Man (Brad Pitt, Inglourious Basterds) – the alien child that had the good life – gets a lot of attention from his fellow classmates for his powers of super strength, flight, and invulnerability. Naturally, Megamind gets jealous, and tries to outdo Metro Man in the classroom with various gadgets that, like his dreams, are crushed. From that point on, Megamind decides that he isn’t good at being a hero and becomes determined to prove his worth as a villain. The clash between these two arch nemeses goes on for many years in a familiar formula. Step one: Kidnap news reporter Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey, 30 Rock). Step two: place her in an elaborate hostage situation. Step 3: Wait for Metro Man to save the day and destroy the evil facility.
(Spoilers begin here!)
What I really enjoyed about this movie is that Megamind wins. He kills Metro Man and takes complete control of the city. The best part about this is that he has no idea what to do after he has taken the valuable art, fancy cars, and cool stuff in the city for himself. He’s run out of initiative. He used to fight Metro Man just because he couldn’t win, and now he has no one left to fight. Using DNA found on Metro Man’s cape, Megamind creates a gun that will give one person the same powers that Metro Man had. Contrary to his plans, he accidentally shoots an innocent news cameraman, Hal (Jonah Hill, Get Him to the Greek). Megamind then takes on the role of Hal’s “space father” in a delightful parody of Marlon Brando’s Jor-El, the father of Superman. With his new powers, Hal steals valuable items and becomes a villain. After all, it’s not the tights, the powers, or the personal issues that makes a hero, but the righteousness and justice within that person that makes them heroic.
Megamind really takes a shine to Roxanne, but every time they meet after Metro Man’s death, he is disguised as the quiet, unassuming museum curator by way of a gadget that completely changes his appearance. Of course, he accidentally falls in love with her. But when he reveals that he is Megamind, Roxanne is shocked. They then part ways and walk away in the rain. It’s not a very heart-wrenching moment, but it brought the audience closer to our blue-headed friend
(Spoilers end here).
As far as villains go, Megamind is pretty quirky. Megamind consistently mispronounces several words, one of my favorites being school as ‘shool’ and Metro City similar to atrocity.
Overall, Megamind takes what we know about superhero movies and switches a few things around. It puts the villain in the limelight, giving the audience a deeper look at why he is evil. Megamind is a superhero movie that follows a different formula, and succeeds.
★★★★☆
