Megamind

A faultless and incredibly charismatic little superhero film, Megamind may stand on the shoulders of other superhero flicks before its time, but it also provides such unique and creative differences that raise the bar higher than ever before. I have been a fan of Dreamworks Animation for a long time, I grew up watching it, and I always would prefer it to Disney flicks and other animated adventures that would come out throughout the years. Megamind is easily one of my favorite, and one of their most underrated films to date. Yes it relies on the Clark Kent vs Lex Luthor type of formula, as really most superhero films do, but it took a chance with its ambitious ideas and made it work so well, you can't help but forgive it. The film was largely overshadowed at the time by its animated competeter, Despicable Me which was a delightful surprise, but in my opinion no where near as close as smart and funny as this film. The film has such a great character with Megamind, who isn't just a bad guy, but someone who turns to bad to find a purpose- to feel fit in the world around him, even if it means being feared. The animation is fantastic and the voice work is tremendously on point, Will Ferrell (as he does with so many of his characters) brings so much life to Megamind- in a performance you will truly never forget. The soundtrack is fabulously done by veteran composer Hans Zimmer, and the script is incredibly sharp, with so many moments looking back upon that were truly ahead of its time. In the end, I feel we don't deserve a film like Megamind, but neverless we got it and it came with flair to spare. I love this film, and I encourage anyone who doubted its genius, to give it another try.

My Rating: 10/10.

I'm constantly thinking about a better timeline in which Megamind did better than Despicable Me

Anti-heroes are damn popular but not this underdog. There haven't been any animated movie which tells you a story about an under-dog villain. This is one.

I think that the timing of the release of "Megamind" hurt it quite a bit. If you look at the revenue for this film, it really is not that impressive, as it cost nearly as much as it made. However, "Despicable Me", which came out shortly before "Megamind" made a ton of money--many times what it cost to make. Now this does not mean one film is necessarily better that the other. I really think that "Despicable Me" stole "Megamind"'s thunder and people were just not interested in seeing two films about an evil genius.

So what's my verdict? Well, frankly I think both films are about equally good but have a slightly different audience. "Despicable Me" is clearly marketed more to kids and has cuteness as its advantage. The minions from "Despicable Me" are magnificent and adorable. It's also a tad formulaic--but not bad at all despite the predictability. "Megamind", however, is more a film for teens and adults--as cuteness is not really something I'd associate with the movie. It also has a few more surprises and a more adult sense of humor. My wife and oldest daughter preferred "Megamind" while I preferred "Despicable Me"--but we all agreed that both were really nice films.

I could say a lot more about the film, but since it's now out on DVD and already has a ton of reviews, I'll pass. Suffice to say it's well worth seeing and is excellent entertainment.

Every so often I watch a film with limited enthusiasm, simply because I have time me to kill. On these occasions I sometimes stumble across a true delight and am pleasantly surprised...a film that maybe had "mixed" reviews or that received little attention upon its release. Megamind is such a film; a great work of animation and character development.

The film should delight adults and children with enough in it to satisfy all tastes. There is also plenty of amusing and hilarious satire with regard to superhero movies and super villains.

Many superheros and villains are often depicted as wholly good or wholly bad, having at best some traumatic event setting them on their inevitable and unchangeable course. This film actually highlights certain sources of inner turmoil and insecurities of the characters in a very entertaining way and develops the characters as they work these out.

There's also plenty of rip roaring action on the way.

Great stuff! Highly recommended!