Can a bad guy really go good? That's just aprt of the question posed by this smartly-written, well-paced animated comedy. At roughly 90 minutes, it feels neither too short nor too long.
Megamind(Will Ferrell) is in an existential quandary after defeating his nemesis, the suave yet equally egotisitcal MetroMan (Brad Pitt). How can a master of villainy thrive in the absence of a do-gooder superhero? To rectify the problem, he first decides to create an alternate hero using bits of Metroman DNA, but of course, complications soon surface.
Firstly, the serum is inadvertently ingested by a local TV cameraman who, after much trial and error. becomes Titan (voiced by Jonah Hill). More interestingly, Megamind finds himself falling for ace TV reporter Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey) and what's more, she is falling for him, albeit in the guise of the curator of the Metroman museum, Bernard.
The producers expertly juggle these dilemmas along with commentaries and questions about identity, friendship, loving those who seem hateful, how the transition from "evil" to "good".
As the superhero movie era shows no signs of abating (Thor and Capt. America lead a hos of live action adaptations over the coming year), MegaMind is just the kind of antidote needed for over-seriousness, with dialogue that snaps and crackles like the best of today's TV sitcoms. Sexy without being crude, snappy without being self-important, Megamind joins The Incredibles and Ratatouille in that select group of mainstream animated features that both kids and parents can enjoy without embarrasment.
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