Mega-mediocre
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
It is no secret DreamWorks Animation's films are like the discarded younger brother who is locked in the attic and fed fish heads, while Pixar is downstairs getting pats on the back from mum and dad. That may be a long-winded analogy, but when you compare their body of work it is fitting. While Pixar have redefined cinematic and box office expectations with films like The Incredibles, Toy Story, Wall E and Up, DreamWorks Animation have teetered between successes like Shrek and How To Train Your Dragon, and failures Flushed Away and Over The Hedge. Megamind falls somewhere in between – it’s so-so, not spectacular.
Megamind (Will Ferrell) is a super-intelligent, Avatar-esque alien who is sent to Earth as a baby by his parents along with another alien being who eventually becomes a superhero known as Metro Man (Brad Pitt). Megamind discovers the only thing he is good at is being bad and he becomes a supervillain. After years of battling each other in Metro City, it seems Megamind has finally defeated Metro Man when his charred skeleton is all that remains from one of his wicked plans. But ruling a city without a hero is rather pointless for Megamind and his identity crisis leads to a romantic interest in reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey), who is unaware of his true identity.
The film packs some impressive visuals and although there is nothing to fault technically, all of the DreamWorks Animation characters seem to have the same basic outlines and mannerisms and Megamind is no different. It is an artist flaw that they fail to differ film to film, unlike the works of Disney productions or Henry Selick creations. The lovable supervillain shtick is also nothing new, thanks to the recent anti-hero spin in Despicable Me.
But the impressive voice cast do bring something enjoyable to their roles and Will Ferrell's signature one-liners transfer nicely on screen. Most of the laughs come from the David Cross voiced Minion, but Jonah Hill's Titan is also amusing. Unfortunately that is not enough to make up for the feeling we have been here before. From the predicable plot to sentimental moments, Megamind is an okay, not great, addition to the swag of animated films seeking to please both adults and kids.
Megamind is out next Thursday, December 9.
