Movie – Megamind

Director: Tom McGrath (Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa)

Screenwriter: Alan Schoolcraft & Brent Simon; Both their first film as a writer.

Starring: Will Ferrell (Anchorman, Stepbrothers, Talladega Nights), Brad Pitt (Se7en, Fight Club, Babel), Tina Fey (Mean Girls, Date Night, 30 Rock), David Cross (Mr. Show, Run Ronnie Run, Arrested Development) and Jonah Hill (Super Bad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek)

Theater – Cinemark Movies 12 – Ames, Iowa

Companion – Nader Parsaei

Food – Chinese Homestyle Cooking

Intellectual Honesty

I love David Cross.  He and Daniel Tosh are kind of 1A and 1B for my favorite comedian.  I would watch David Cross do about anything.  That includes be in Scary Movie 2. Mr. Show is still the greatest show ever. Arrested Development is one of the Top 10 shows of all-time as well.  I also love Tina Fey.  Not enough to watch 30 Rock, but I think that is because I’m sick of people telling me I should watch it.  Also, I can’t stand Alec Baldwin. However, if David Cross was in it, that would surely trump my hatred of Alec Baldwin and I would start watching.

Baggage

I don’t particularly enjoy Will Ferrell in starring roles.  Anchorman is entertaining.  I enjoy Elf. But Talladega Nights is simply wretched, despite the fact that Amy Adams is in it. You all know how I feel about Amy Adams. I would rather watch anything with Will Ferrell than watch Jonah Hill.  I can’t figure out why he still gets work.

Synopsis from IMDB

After super-villain Megamind (Ferrell) kills his good-guy nemesis, Metro Man (Pitt), he becomes bored since there is no one left to fight. He creates a new foe, Titan (Hill), who, instead of using his powers for good, sets out to destroy the world, positioning Megamind to save the day for the first time in his life.

Review

Will Ferrell is actually fairly decent in this film.  Tina Fey is great. David Cross is brilliant, of course. Brad Pitt is barely in it, but is great.  Jonah Hill sucks it up beyond belief.  That is particularly hard to believe considering this is an animated film.

I don’t know if there is particularly much to say about this film.  It is decently written. The animation is good, but probably not all that special. Especially compared to the work Pixar does.  The characters are likable. The ending is satisfying.

The best part of the movie is Megamind’s interactions with Minion. I also enjoyed the references to Superman.  I’m not a comic book guy by any stretch of the imagination, but I enjoyed the references to the first Christopher Reeve Superman movie.

In essence this is an enjoyable kids movie that has enough going on to entertain adults as well. I enjoyed the movie, but I will have forgotten it exists in about 3 years.

Rating

3.0/5 Caramels

Buy on DVD

Not likely.  But I would definitely watch it again.

2010 Ranking

3rd Best Animated Film I’ve seen this year. How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story 3 are both much better.

Bonus Information

I had to endure an ad for some Glenn Beck thing before the movie started. I remember when that guy wasn’t a complete psycho doucher.  That feels so long ago.  Some people think I’m liberal because I believe decent Health Care is a right and not a privilege. Other people believe that I am conservative because I hate poor people. (The 2nd part is a riff on a Daniel Tosh joke.) The truth is that I’m not an ideologue at all. I favor common sense and solving problems.  Neither political dogma has a monopoly on the right answers. I don’t hate Glenn Beck because he is conservative. I hate Glenn Beck because he never tells the truth. You are entitled to your opinion, but you aren’t entitled to your own facts.  The point is, seeing him on the movie screen made my movie experience at least 15% less enjoyable.

Up Next

Conviction, Unstoppable, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Morning Glory. I would still like to go see Waiting for Superman and Fair Game while they are still in Des Moines. 127 Hours comes to Des Moines next week as well. I will DEFINITELY be making a trip to Des Moines to see 127 Hours! Good thing I have lots of free time Thanksgiving week.