Megamind

A couple weeks ago I went to go see Megamind with some of my friends here at Dixie State. We didn't see it in 3D (because we're poor college students) and yet the movie was still amazing. This movie is a must-see for people of all ages.

The movie begins with shots of Megamind (Will Ferrell) being sent away from his home planet as a baby. The world is being sucked into a black hole and in order to save their son his parents ship him out of harm's way. Accompanied only by Minion (David Cross) he sets off in journey of a new home. On his journey he encounters another baby being rescued from the same fate. This baby grows up to become Metro Man (Brad Pitt). The rivalry between the two begins when they both land on Earth. Metro Man grows up with a rich family with glory and fame while Megamind grows up in a jail. The two of them go to school where Metro Man is the center of attention while Megamind is seen as an outcast. Battles between the two begin that grow more sophisticated with time.

In the present day the movie shows Megamind in jail for him multiple life sentences. He breaks out with the help of Minion and heads to unleash his latest evil plan. Meanwhile in Metro City, the citizens are gathered to see the unveil of the museum dedicated to Metro Man. Megamind's droids show up and kidnap Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey). A rather comical confrontation occurs between Megamind and Metro Man and when the battle is over Megamind stands victorious. Metro Man is blown up and his skeleton flies towards Megamind and Roxanne.

Megamind, Minion, and the droids run through the streets causing trouble now that Metro City belongs to Megamind. With no hero to stand in the way Megamind can do whatever he wants. After time passes Megamind gets bored. There's no one to oppose him and he regrets defeating Metro Man. Eventually he comes up with a plan to create a new hero. This plan backfires when Roxanne's assistant Hal (Jonah Hill) is given the powers. Megamind tricks him into believing that he was always meant to be a hero and gives him the name Titan. Hal tries to impress Roxanne with his powers and she turns him down. Titan sets out to destroy the world and Megamind along with it causing him to become the hero.

Megamind is a great family film and kids of all ages will enjoy it. Dreamworks movies tend to provide some sort of them/life lesson to their movies. This movie shows that heroes aren't born, they're made, as stated a couple times in the movie.

One of the element of the movie that I really enjoyed was what is called the Pygmalion Effect (thank you Coach Neal). While it's not directly stated it is shown in everything that happens to Megamind. The Pygmalion Effect is when a person is treated in a way that someone wants them to turn out. One example of this is the 1983 movie Trading Places starring Eddie Murphy. Snobby millionaires make a bet that they can switch a con artist and a big time investor places. In Megamind the beginning has Megamind's dad saying "We know you'll do..." and the lid to the rocket closes but you can see him mouthing "...great things." Megamind, by nature, isn't evil. When he and Metro Man land on Earth they end up in opposite places and are treated differently their whole lives. Megamind is even made fun of for trying to do good things which causes him to become a villain.

Megamind also had a lot of humor in it. I thought it was a really funny movie. My favorite forms of humor was the fact that Megamind mispronounces words throughout the movie. Others included funny references to other movies and strange things that were done by characters.

This movie is worth the money.