My Movie Review on Megamind · 12:45am Feb 22nd, 2021
Yo, what's up, Kemosabes?
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for the 6th installment of this year's "February Festivity", I'm gonna give you guys my take of Dreamworks's "Megamind".
Here's the rundown of it:
Megamind is a super-intelligent alien who has been the resident supervillain of Earth's Metro City for all his life. He often squares off with his nemesis and the city's superhero, Metro Man, and kidnaps a news reporter named Roxanne Ritchi.
However, during one of their battles, Megamind unexpectedly manages to kill Metro Man, and he not only wins but manages to takeover Metro City. But as time goes by, Megamind finds himself becoming bored and depressed because of being a villain without a hero to fight against, especially to the point of where he feels like he no longer has a purpose.
In an effort to be a supervillain with a purpose again, Megamind decides to 'create' a superhero by finding someone of noble character and using a serum of Metro Man's DNA to inject that person with.
Who will Megamind choose to be his next nemesis? Will it be the right guy worthy of the part? Will Megamind even want to be a supervillain anymore in the long run?
Similar to many other films I've reviewed before, "Megamind" was a little something I had in mind to do an analysis of for a long time. It's a movie that I first saw in theaters and grew up with ever since, so reviewing it was undeniably tantalizing to do. The reason for why I decided to make the review part of my "February Festivity" was because I thought that the developing romance between Megamind and Roxanne made it perfect for the occasion.
So, what do I think of this movie?
In all honesty, "Megamind" was as enjoyable as I remembered it being. Even better, it was a blast!
For instance, the voice acting, casting, characters, and character development were incredible!
It was amazing how the filmmakers were able to make even the strangest of casting choices fit perfectly with the characters, and the performers played their parts with brilliant personality, emotion, and comedic-timings. In addition, they sounded like they were having a lot of fun, which is something I deeply admire. If I had to choose who gave the best performances out of everyone, it'd be Will Ferrell as Megamind, Tina Fey as Roxanne Ritchi, and Jonah Hill as Hal Stewart/Titan. Of course, David Cross was a definite scene-stealer as Minion, J.K. Simmons certainly knew how to stand out as the Warden despite how minor his character was, and Brad Pitt was marvelous in the role of Metro Man. The characters themselves were pretty fun to hang with, and the character development in articulation (particularly that of Megamind, Roxanne, and Hal) was a dynamic thing to see.
The direction by Tom McGrath, and the story by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, were likewise marvelously well-done.
A few times in my life, I read that some film critics called the story unoriginal because of it being made after "The Incredibles" and "Despicable Me". But, that's actually not the case at all, because it still managed to be it's own thing in the long run. In fact, I thought that the concept of a supervillain actually defeating his nemesis was a unique premise for a film about superheroes and supervillains. Additionally, there were a lot of unexpected twists and turns that helped the story be interesting and far from predictable, which was particularly aided by how creatively character-driven the movie was. As a film made to be a parody of the superhero genre, I thought "Megamind" did a wonderful job at being just that. I love how the filmmakers created a movie that often didn't take itself too seriously while still being something more, and the way it poked fun at the genre was both entertaining and innocent. The humor and comedic-timings throughout the movie were all-out hysterical, and I can't even recall a single moment that didn't make me laugh. There was also heart and emotion in it that was absolutely soul-tugging, and its themes and morals about choice and destiny were nicely-done.
The animation was astonishing, if I may add.
The overall visualization not only showcased Dreamworks at one of its peaks, but it showed that McGrath and the animators were very passionate about this project and weren't afraid of taking risks. In every way, it felt like they were making a three-dimensional comic book for the screen, and there was a depth to it all that helped it be all-the-more groundbreaking.
Finally, the music by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe was magnificent.
Zimmer and Balfe created perhaps some fo the best melodies I've ever heard in a Dreamworks film, because they beautifully reflected the emotions of the characters to where you could actually feel for yourself what the characters are feeling inside and out. The melodies they made also matched every moment in the movie, and they were powerful enough to get viewers engaged in the story. In addition to this, the duo's use of classic and rock songs was fantabulous, as they not only helped the film gain a greater sense of fun but reflected Megamind's emotions and personality. And I really can't lie, this movie was what introduced me to George Thurogood's "Bad to the Bone", which became one of my favorite songs since then. The film's use of Elvis Preseley's "A Little Less Conversation" was perfect for Metro Man's entrance, if I may add.
In conclusion, "Megamind" is an element of my childhood that I'm proud to have revisited recently, and it's another one of Dreamworks's best movies. Quite likely one of their most underrated too.
So, I rate "Megamind" a solid five out of five stars.
Underrated gem, hands down. 🤓
While no one else could do it better than Will Ferrell, I am curious how Robert Downey Jr. would've pulled off the role, lol
He was in consideration alongside Ben Stiller, lol
Funny thing, I recently talked about the history of that film in a video, I learned so much cool stuff while making it. 😎😋
Still need to watch it to make a proper assessment of it.
I've never watched that movie, but I heard it's underrated.
For some reason in the movie just didn’t resonate with me