About 15 minutes into Megamind, the movie’s eponymous villain succeeds in defeating Metro Man, the Superman-like hero, giving Megamind control of Metro City. But after moving into city hall and exhausting his list of destructive pranks (launching fire trucks into the sides of buildings, painting blue moustaches on portraits), Megamind (Will Ferrell) grows bored. What is the point of being a villain, he wonders, a little too obviously, with no superhero to battle? The resulting film is four parts digitally animated children’s comedy and one part existential exploration, as Megamind, whose cape and ridiculous high collar frame his bulbous blue head, searches for a new identity.
Many of the film’s plot twists hinge on Megamind’s dehydrating ray gun, which, along with a specially designed watch, enables him to assume the appearances of others. As he ponders life without Metro Man one night while thus disguised, Megamind runs into Roxanne (Tina Fey), a spunky television journalist who convinces him to help her bring down Megamind, forcing Megamind to feign battling himself.
The film, directed by Tom McGrath, is supported by a strong cast: Brad Pitt lends his voice to Metro Man, and Jonah Hill voices Hal, a videographer remarkably similar to all the characters Hill plays in live-action movies. Seeking a new rival, Megamind infuses some of Metro Man’s DNA into the fumbling, stocky Hal, transforming him into an awkward superhero who battles it out with Megamind for Roxanne’s affections. The zigzagging plot makes all of this less clichéd than it sounds, and the movie, for the most part, cleverly mimes the superhero genre.
While not up to the standards of the best Pixar films, Megamind is pretty clever animated fare. As he talks to a bobbing plastic duck while contemplating life without Metro Man, Megamind sullenly comments that he’s engaged in a “heated existential discussion with this dead-eyed plastic desk toy.” A surprising amount of the jokes are aimed high, most notably the Obama-like “No We Can’t” poster Megamind hangs after taking control of the city.
At times, Megamind almost veers in the direction of political allegory (at least if you spent the weekend studying for a political science exam). Without Metro Man to check Megamind, the city becomes a one-party state, victim to the capricious—though fairly harmless—whims of Megamind. But unlike most real-life dictators, Megamind grows tired of absolute power and, egged on by Roxanne, tries to become one of the good guys.
