Megamind Movie Review

Insert Pun Here

Here's another movie that on the outside looks like another cliche for the genre but in the end turns out to be a lot deeper than it appears to be.  Megamind features the exploits of a supervillain of the same name as he tries to defeat his archnemesis Metro Man.  From the moment the movie starts its not too difficult to see how heavily it borrows from other superhero movies, especially Superman.  Both Megamind and Metro Man come from planets that are on the verge of extinction and both are sent to Earth as its protectors, with Megamind of course choosing to go down the villain route.  This entire setup echoes the opening of the original Superman movie.  Another thing that the movie borrows from the Man of Steel is Metro Man himself, who has all of Superman's iconic powers: flight, super strength, laser vision, and super speed.
     Despite what appears to be a shameless ripoff, Megamind succeeds for several reasons.  First of all, Megamind himself isn't a jokey villain, despite what the trailers lead you to believe.  He actually comes up with legit plans and gadgets, and turns out to be a (somewhat) even match for Metro Man.  Sure, there are throwaway gags where he mispronounces words and pulls out a stereotypical death ray, but because they happen with less frequency they become more funny. 
     The second reason why the movie works is because it brings up some questions that haven't really been explored in the superhero genre before, at least, in the movies.  It questions what it means to be a hero and what it means to be a villain, and also what the point is to be a villain without your rival, a question that echoes the Joker's refusal to outright kill Batman in the Dark Knight.
     I also liked how the characters evolved over time.  Because Megamind isn't a jokey villain he's able to grow into a much more likeable character, and it isn't too hard to wonder whether he's such a bad guy after all.  Fortunately the rest of the main characters have just as much depth, and they all work off each other to create an emotionally engaging film.  Sure, it's by no means a tear jerking soap opera, but hey, who wanted it to be anyways?
Conclusion:  Megamind could be the signaling of a new era for Dreamworks, as it is their second movie in a row that has not been mindless melting pot of exaggerated gags and pointless plot points (e.i., Over the Hedge.)  The result is an animated film that could easily have been made by the geniuses at Pixar.  Hopefully this trend will carry over into their next movie, one that I'm really looking forward to, Kung Fu Panda 2.
Rating:  9/10 "Awesome"
Favorite Moment:  The final battle is pretty epic, and a great show case of the powerful animation.  Obviously I can't spoil everything, but for parents who are worried about a kids movie with a villain as the main character, never fear, he does redeem himself.