Megamind: Brainy idea

The bad guy gets to win for once

MOVIE---Megamind (Will Ferrell, right) tells Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey, left) that Metro Man (Brad Pitt) won’t be there to rescue her this time in DreamWorks Animation’s MEGAMIND to be released by Paramount on November 5th. Photo credit: Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation

“Megamind”

No matter how colorful they’re drawn, superheroes tend to inhabit a black and white world where good triumphs over evil. But what happens when the villain wins? DreamWorks Animation puts that question to the test with “Megamind,” an original superhero adventure that gives the eponymous blue bad guy, voiced by Will Ferrell, the keys to Metro City. In this refreshing twist on a familiar format, director Tom McGrath combines flawless 3-D animation with a bevy of comedic talent to craft an entertaining adventure with plenty of smart, grown-up laughs.

Although “Megamind” uses the tried-and-true superhero model, with its strapping, jutting-jawed hero (Metro Man, voiced by Brad Pitt) and lair-dwelling villain (Megamind) repeatedly facing off before the helpless citizens of Metro City, the film is an entirely original concept — an unusual occurrence in Hollywood these days, where brand recognition is king (think sequels, comic book adaptations, remakes). But writers Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons use that model only as a familiar jumping-off point before diving in and turning it on its head.

The PG-rated adventure gets off to a rip-roaring, “Superman”-esque start as baby versions of Megamind and Metro Man are stuffed into space capsules by their parents and launched to safety before their planets are destroyed. As the capsules hurl through space, a fluke of nature causes them to briefly cross paths, bumping Metro Man into a life of privilege and heroic expectations, and Megamind into a life of crime and self-hatred.
Megamind’s and Metro Man’s roles as hero and villain seem inescapable; they’re locked in an endless cycle, with the same predetermined ending. Even Megamind’s frequent kidnapping victim, the Lois Lane-ish TV reporter Roxanne (Tina Fey), is bored by the routine. Then, one day, the criminally insecure Megamind does the unthinkable — he wins.

With Metro Man put to rest, Megamind and his fishy sidekick Minion (David Cross) joyously wreak havoc on the unprotected city (in one of the film’s best sequences). But then what? Bored and missing his lifelong rival, Megamind decides to create a new nemesis from scratch, picking Roxanne’s slacker cameraman (Jonah Hill) for the role. But just because you cast someone as a hero doesn’t mean they’ll live up to the standard, as Megamind and the rest of Metro City discover once his creation is let loose. The question is, does our villain have what it takes to play the hero?

It’s not difficult to predict the path that Megamind will take in this superhero take on “nature versus nurture,” but the fun is in the journey itself — a fast-paced romp full of clever dialogue (Fey and Ferrell make for terrific banter), sight gags delivered in top-notch, purposeful 3-D animation, and silly goofs that only a personality like Ferrell can deliver (his mispronunciations are repeatedly rewarding). Sure, a percentage of Ferrell’s jokes fall flat, but the film’s rapid-fire, rock ’n’ roll pace whisks us off to the next gag before the misfire sinks in.

“Megamind’s” frenetic pace hits a few speed bumps toward the end with a few too many emotional resolutions, as well as a love story. But at this late point in an otherwise entertaining film, the lull gives us time to savor the thought that an original idea can still find the light of day in modern Hollywood.

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