Megamind (Two-Disc Blu-ray 3D/DVD Combo) (2010)

Megamind is something of a mix, but a good one. On the one hand, it takes the existing traditional tropes of comic-book superhero and supervillain and works within them, but at the same time it ventures into territory that one rarely sees, going one step beyond the traditional to answer two questions: (1) What really makes a supervillain truly 'bad'? and (2) What happens when the supervillain unexpectedly wins?

The film starts off with a traditional hook Megamind apparently falling to his doom and then flashes back to the beginning, with the origins of the two classic protagonists, superhero Metro Man and supervillain Megamind, each sent out as an infant in a spacepod from their respective doomed homeworlds. From there, however, things begin to take a twist. Megamind is the supervillain, but more from bad luck than anything else (Metro Man's pod lands in a mansion where he is adopted by rich parents who give him everything, Megamind's pod on the other hand lands in a penitentiary where he is adopted by the inmates). Megamind doesn't become a supervillain so much out of evil as much as lack of options, his main talent apparently being wreaking havoc and scaring the hell out of people. He and Metro Man become enemies/rivals in a series of confrontations where, in Megminds own words "Our battles quickly got more elaborate. He would win some, I would ALMOST win others!".

And, in classic comic-book tradition, a plucky news reporter, Roxanne Ritchie, and her hapless and socially inept camerman, Hal Stewart, are always on the scene when one of Megamind's schemes unfolds, with the result that Roxanne gets abducted so many times that it becomes almost routine ("Alligators, yeah, mm-hmm. I was thinking about it on the way over...").

But things take an unexpected twist when, in spite of all the glitches, Megamind's scheme actually works and Metro Man is apparently destroyed, leaving only a skeleton bearing his cape behind. At first Megamind is ecstatic, but after only a few days the supervillian finds himself at a loss as to what to do next. What _does_ a supervillain do when he has no superhero to challenge or to be challenged by?

In his existiential angst, Megamind unexpectedly ends up talking to Roxanne, albeit disguised as Bernard, a museum attendent at the Metro Man Museum. From her, he gets the inspiration to create a new superhero to restore the balance in his life. Unfortunately his plan goes hideously awry when the recipient of his superhero formula turns out to be Hal, Roxanne's inept and all too flawed camerman.

And once again the story turns back to the question of just what makes a supervillain truly bad. Hal isn't evil per se, but he is lazy, petulant, completely self-centered and prone to tantrums when he doesn't get his way. Highly destructive tantrums once he discovers that he, as the intended new superhero Titan, has powers that put him beyond anyone else's control. Jonah Hill as the voice of Hal/Titan manages to perfectly bring out these serious flaws in Titan's character that result in Titan becoming a far more menacing threat to society than the ostensibly 'evil' Megamind ever was.

Craftsmanship-wise, everything in Megamind works well. The animation is colorful and eye-catching, the character design superb, and the voice actors distinctive and entertaining (Will Ferrell as Megamind, Brad Pitt as Metro Man, Tina Fey as Roxanne Ritchie, Jonah Hill as Hal Stewart/Titan, and David Cross as Minion). There are also a lot of references and in-jokes worked in, some fairly obvious (Minion's exo-suit with the diving helmet head and gorilla-like body are a direct take from the classicly-bad scifi film Robot Monster) and fairly subtle (the museum attendant Bernard is voiced by Ben Stiller, who played a museum guard named Bernard in the two Night At The Museum movies).

Though the film was released at the theaters in 3D, you won't miss a thing seeing it on a DVD. Quite frankly, the whole 3D thing is a waste in most movies that have come out with it and Megamind is no exception.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys good animation with entertaining characters and story.

My ratings are based mainly on the QUALITY OF THE 3D, not the video content.

There are about 173 out of screen effects that extend about 10% of the way, from the screen to the viewer. 22 made it to 15%, 19 out to 20%, 36 more at 25% and 2, 30-35%. That's a lot of OOS effects. In addition there are quite a few quick 25-40% effects piled near the title scenes but the 3D in them is a somewhat flawed. However, very few 3D flaws elsewhere in this film. I would have to say my favorite effect is the baby juggling / drooling sequence around 30% approximately 10 minutes into the film.

This movie earned a 4 way tie for the # 2 position on my shelf. For 3D quality and humor, it ranks right up there with the 3 other animated greats, Open Season, Rio and Ice Age.

*** Another Must see ***

*** Add it to your list ***

MY 3D RATING = EXCELLENT (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent)

Note: As far as the percentages go, everyone's eyes are different. What I see at 25% you may see at 15% or 35%. To fully realize how far something is out of the screen for you, pause on an effect and direct a partner with an extended finger to the tip of what you are seeing. You may be surprised.

Click on `' for the lowdown on other 3Ds

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"Megamind" is the story of good vs. evil or is it? The movie starts out with a very cute blue baby being sent to earth in a rocket by his parents to save the infant from the destruction of the planet. As the little blue child is rocketing toward earth, a another child (who is very handsome) is also heading toward earth in a similar rocket. Both children crash land on earth, but to different fates. The beautiful child crash lands on a big estate where he is adopted by a rich family and given everything. While the little blue child crash lands in a prison and is adopted by the prisoners who teach him the ways of evil. Both children are highly intelligent, but due to their circumstances, one grows up to be a superhero -Metroman (voiced by Brad Pitt) and the other a supervillain Megamind (voiced by Will Ferrell).

Metroman and Megamind spend their lives locked in the classic battle of good vs. evil with Megamind always losing and ending up in jail. Until one day, Megamind's evil strategy works and Metroman is destroyed. Megamind takes over Metro City and turns it into a dump yard. But he comes to realize that being evil is boring without someone good to fight against. The rest of the story is Megamind coming to terms with his real destiny and realizing that looks and circumstances don't always have to dictate your success in this life.

"Megamind" is one of those animated movies that has a lot more going on than meets the eye. The animation is totally brilliant. The scenes look almost real and seeing the movie in 3D is a must if you want to get the best animated viewing experience. The ending is exciting with complex animation that is out of this world.

The story is one of the most complex that I have seen in a children's film. There are many twists and turns in the plot and, since I did not see the trailer, I did not see a lot of them coming. But I find it rare in an animated film (and any movie where Will Ferrell is involved) to have such a rich storyline were good and evil are shown as shades of gray that can be affected by circumstances and our own choices in life. Just because you are raised in a prison does not mean you have to be villain any more than being raised in a palace means you have to be a prince.

The kids in the audience loved the obvious jokes and slapstick comedy, but there were many funny one-liners where only parents were laughing since you had to have seen "The Godfather" to understand the comedy references. Both my son and I loved "Megamind" and give it a thumbs up.

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Will Ferrell plays a genius supervillian named Megamind who ends up using his gifts for scandalous means after getting tired of being underappreciated and receiving the treatment of a social outcast. Brad Pitt plays his equally gifted rival Metro Man. Tina Fey plays a very energetic, vivacious, and upbeat woman named Roxanne that is very important to the character development of Megamind. The beautiful and uplifting message of the movie is that everyone has good in them. I also enjoy the message that seems to be tailored to both kids and adults that persistence can pay off even after multiple setbacks. There are plenty of scenes to make a person laugh. In addition, I like how the movie portrayed how a person that may seem like a villian on the outside is not always what they initially appear to be at the surface. In addition, the movie also sends a message that those that create mischief can many times be the ones that are yearning to be accepted and loved the most. All of the actors and actresses voiced their parts in a superb fashion. However, Will's Megamind character really helped to increase the humour and life into this great animated movie. This is definitely one of the animated movies to see this month.

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I went into the theatre not knowing for sure what to expect. But as I watched it, all the emotions felt real, like I was actually there! I was very sad to see the ending, it is one of those movies that you want it to go on forever. I loved the plot and the twinge of romance. I am definitly getting this one as soon as it comes out onto DVD!

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