“A NO BRAINER”
Starring: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and David Cross
Directed by: Tom McGrath
MPAA Rating: : PG for action and some language
Genre: Adventure, Comedy and Animation
Running Time: 1 hr. 35 min
Release Date: November 5th, 2010
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
By John Delia
One of the top animated films for 2010 has hit the screen, and the adventure is fun to watch. Even though skewed a great deal toward an adult audience, Megamind does have all the silliness that children love. If you want a family film that reaches out to a wide audience and has excellent voice acting then you need to see Megamind.
The film centers on two alien children who fall to Earth, one landing in Metro city a thriving urban city and the other in a prison, where both kids develop their superpowers. Now adults, Metro Man (Brad Pitt) has chosen to defend Metro City from crime, while Megamind (Ferrell) feels cheated that he had to live so long in prison and wants revenge. When Megamind escapes from prison the two battles over rule of Metro City until Metro Man is finally defeated by trickery. Now in command, Megamind starts his plan to become a hero, even if it takes the destruction of Metro City itself.
The script is filled with situations that keep it funny and sometimes hilarious. The action packed film has all the pratfalls that keep audiences engrossed. The youngsters will be enamored by the thrills and spills of Megamind and his minion Minion (David Cross) as they set up their plan to rule the city. On the adult level the story reflects on many characters from movies like Superman, The Incredibles and even an earlier released animated entry into 2010, Despicable Me.
The voice characterization is perfect with Ferrell playing Megamind with an air of joie de verve until he becomes bored without a villain to fight. His love interest Roxanne Ritchi (Fey) does a smooth job of avoiding any kind of relationship with Megamind, but still falls for his flamboyancy. Minion caries most of the comedy whether it is direct or bounced off his character by others. The combination of all three characters makes the film a comedic hit.
The film is rated PG for action and some language so take this into consideration when choosing to take the very immature.
FINAL ANALYSIS:Â A hot entry into the animated race for the Oscar. (4.5 of 5)