Written by: Alan Schoolcraft & Brent Simons
Starring: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, Brad Pitt
Rating: [3/5]
Every villain needs its hero to combat against. A belief system Joker the clown holds and why he enjoys facing off against the caped crusader so often. A hero needs to exist; if not, all cities would make for easy pickings for the villains, as seen in Megamind. When the villain finally wins, it does not necessarily mean it makes them satisfied.
Rivals from the very beginning, Megamind (Will Ferrell) and Metro Man (Brad Pitt) both arrive on Earth but, due to their upbringing, live on different sides of the law. Now as adults, Megamind strives to be the best villain possible for Metro Man, but when one of his latest attempts leads to the death of the superhero, it leaves the titular character with a dissatisfaction he did not anticipate.
The relationship between Megamind and Metro Man appears like one seen across various comic book stories. The villain threatens the community, the superhero saves the day by stopping them, the villain gets put in prison, the villain escapes prison, and they start the cycle all over again. This cycle becomes something that Megamaind weirdly enjoys as he enjoys trying to finally get the best of Metro Man, knowing the worst that will happen to him is a prison sentence he will shorten anyway. It’s what makes the appearance he actually killed him quite the shock to everyone, including himself, as he finally has the city all to himself to wreak all the havoc he wants uninterrupted. As the film displays, this gets quite old for Megamind as he learns that he actually wants a hero to be there to oppose him. A comedic tragedy on his part, which then leads the film in the direction where he tries to create a new hero to oppose him.
This hero and villain difference has its origins in the idea of nature vs. nurture in the way they both came to this planet uncorrupted, but their upbringing makes the defining difference in the lives they lead. Megamind’s ship lands in a prison and therefore gets raised by hardened criminals, while Metro Man lands with loving parents who raise him to do well. This difference between them shows there’s always potential for good in each individual, as their upbringing determines so much of what they will become. This opportunity allows for a change of heart for Megamind later in the film.
Redemption arcs aside, Megamind goes through the motions of its story with plenty of humor, showing the titular character is a fun villain to watch do his thing. He has developed such a routine in the way he does things that leads to the biggest chuckles to the movie has to offer. This is shown in one of the early scenes in the film where Megamand kidnaps the Lois Lane of this universe, Roxie (Tina Fey). He tries to intimidate her through all of these contraptions, but he fails to because he has done this so often to her; she pretty much knows all of his tricks. A funny realization also poking fun at this cycle of heroes versus villains that almost feels like controlled entertainment for the masses even though Megamind genuinely has animosity for the superhero because of his popularity. This also bleeds into the other larger idea this film holds in the fine balance between a hero and a villain.
We see this particularly with the individual who ends up receiving the powers Megamind constructs to have a hero again. Giving the average person superpowers does not guarantee that person would use them for good. An idea that seems quite rudimentary to us all, but Megamind learns the hard way as the new “hero” becomes more than he bargained for. A pickle he will need to find a way out of and pushing him to his limits.
Operating as an intriguing overarching observation on the superhero genre and its tropes, Megamind presents a villain who knows his role in this whole game. A successful attempt at his in the game changes the players involved, leading him to pull an audible and only make things worse not only for himself but for all of Metro City. This film brings a bundle of fun as it pokes fun at this hero and villain dynamic and brings a voice cast that adds their flair to these characters in making them fun to watch.
