Megamind and Metro Man have been rivals since they were both little babies cruising away from their respective collapsing home planets in their protective pods and arriving at Metro City, U.S.A. For years they have grown up together, Megamind using his super villainous prowess to kidnap local reporter Roxanne Ritchie, and Metro Man has come flying in to rescue her. Everything in Megamind’s life was perfect. Until that fateful day he tricked Metro Man into the local abandoned observatory and then hit him with the death ray made from the heat of the sun. And finally Megamind destroyed his nemesis and proved the victor; but once he had control of Metro City, and with no one to challenge him Megamind grew bored and listless. He missed the days when Metro Man would require all of his mega-mind power to duel the popular superhero. But alas, Megamind comes up with a way to turn everything back to normal. Using some DNA from Metro Man, Megamind decides to inject a normal citizen with Metro Man heroism and then the entire world will be right again. After injecting the local camera man with the hero DNA, Megamind ends up getting more than he bargained for when the new hero named Titan, doesn’t act like a hero at all and instead decides to destroy the city. Megamind has a decision to make, if he stops Titan that makes him the hero and not the super villain he has been all his life. How can he fulfill his destiny if he isn’t the bad guy?
Megamind is a delightful animated feature brought to you by Dreamworks Studios and directed by Tim McGrath, best known for directing the Madagascar series. The entire story is basically an animated version of Superman on steroids right down to Will Ferrell’s impression of Marlon Brando. Will Ferrell (Elf, Anchorman) is hilariously funny as the supervillain Megamind. His over the top theatrics are perfect for this part. Not to be outdone is Metro Man, played by a funny Brad Pitt who embodies all that a super hero should be. The newswoman Roxanne Ritchie is voiced by comedienne Tina Fey (30 Rock and Mean Girls) and is a perfect match to the go-getting reporter. The cameraman turned hero is played by a bumbling Jonah Hill who you might remember from movies like Superbad and Get Him to the Greek.
All of this being said, Megamind seems very similar to another anti-hero movie, Despicable Me. The films carry the same theme that destiny is not something that is written, but something that you choose for yourself. Not everyone has to be evil because they were labeled that as a child. Both films have Minions to help their super villain masters and both villains experience a life-changing event that causes them to re-evaluate their lifestyles. To me, Despicable Me was the better movie although both are worthy to be watched. Don’t get me wrong, Megamind is a funny film that both adults and kids will get a kick out of. But which one will be your favorite between these similar films? Does Megamind have enough differences where it counts? Or will Despicable Me reign supreme?