Megamind (2010)

 

Genre: Family/ Action

Time: 1h 36mins

Director: Tom McGrath

Quick Summary: Evil genius Megamind finally defeats his do-gooder nemesis, Metro Man, but is left without a purpose in a superhero-free world.

This is so timeless and it's actually really creative. I found this so funny I didn't actually realise the main voice was Will Ferrell. I think the biggest thing about this film is that Hanz Zimmer composed the soundtrack for this, which absolutely slaps. 

What makes this work so well is the characters and how memorable they are. Not one of the main group of characters feels like they fade into the background or get overshone by each other. They're all incredibly strong personalities, yet none of them clash.

Will Ferrell as Megamind is simply brilliant; flawed but lovable, you pity him for everything he had gone through, and while still laughing at his screw-ups and flamboyant nature you can understand him fully. Roxanne Ritchie, voiced by Tina Fe isn't the well-developed heroine out there, but she has her moments, and overall, she's a pretty likeable character. She's smart, but she can make stupid mistakes and a lot of people can relate to her. 

I love how silly and goofy this film is. It isn't afraid to be weird and be extra. I actually found this incredibly funny, just from Megamind's reactions to the meta-style jokes. The dialogue hits the right spots too, balancing between perfect comedy and rather serious and touching moments. It knows exactly when to be serious, and when to pull out the most wild and funniest moments you'll have seen.

This has a good amount of action sprinkled within this as well as an actual good romance mixed in. I genuinely say this is a film for everyone. The animation is fantastic, and it went hand in hand with how extra some of the scenes were. Sadly the only problem I had with this is that it was incredibly predictable. I guess at the time of the release it would have been new, but as unique as this is a few things have done similar. The only good point about this is that this was amazing and stands pretty much at the top of all of them.

Personally, I really liked how well it manages to show a character with a perfect redemption arc. As well as all the things that can lead to various things such as self-doubt, feelings of wanting to change regarding your lifestyle or attitude, how others can perceive you without knowing the real you and many more. There are a lot of themes attached to this film and it never once feels overloaded. 

This captures just the right combination of crazy humour and lovable characters and a good insight into human philosophy without being complicated. 

9/10

"There's a benefit to losing: You get to learn from your mistakes."

"There is no Easter Bunny. There is no Tooth Fairy. There is no Queen of England."

"You know, little buddy, there's a yin for every yang. If there's bad, good will rise up against it! It's taken me a long time for me to find my calling. Now, it's time you found yours."