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davidahallnum5
Feb 249 min read

Megamind 3D Blu-ray Review

MOVIE REVIEW

Megamind is a 2010 Dreamworks film that many people just seemed to overlook upon its initial release, but has certainly gained a cult following in the past few years (with myself being among those people). It follows a bit of a subverted Superman story where a small alien named, you guessed it, Megamind is sent down to earth in search of a new home after his planet got destroyed in a black hole. The only problem, another alien planet had the exact same idea and sent one of their own younglings down to share earth with them. Growing up under a set of unique circumstances, starting with Megamind landing in and growing up in a prison while the other alien grows up in a rich family and is adored by all, both aliens eventually come to be known as Metro Man and Megamind. One is the highly revered guardian of Metro City while the other is a super-villain with an enormous blue head. All their battles go exactly how you think they would, with the good guy conquering the bad guy and all that. But one day, Megamind, almost unintentionally, comes out victorious in killing Metro Man. So now, he's got the city all to himself. However, it isn't long before he realizes there's no point in being evil without a good guy to fight. What follows is an elaborate plan to create a super hero of his own which end up going horribly wrong, and it leaves Megamind wondering if maybe he was ever meant to be the bad guy or is it possible he might just end up being the hero.

The story of Megamind's popularity is honestly quite intriguing. When it first came out, it was a reasonable, but unremarkable financial success that was greatly overshadowed by Despicable Me, which came out earlier in the year and also used the whole "super villain turned good guy" plot line. So while whereas Despicable Me ended up getting two sequels, not including an upcoming one, and a couple spinoff films revolving around the franchise's favorite creatures the minions, Megamind just kinda flew under everyone's radar for nearly a decade. But then out of nowhere, in around 2019 and 2020, people online started taking a second glance at the film and realized the full extent of its mega-genius. From then on, it's been looked at as a modern-day classic and a highly underrated feature. And if it weren't for all the praise it's been receiving as of late, I'd also be using that latter phrase. But don't get me wrong. For the time, it was highly overlooked. And I reckon part of that was not just the Despicable Me franchise using the very similar premise, but also it's status as a superhero movie, something that while somewhat popular at the time, was still building up momentum into what it'd become later. I guess after Endgame, people were getting quite sick of superhero movies and were looking for a film that cleverly knew how to poke fun of them (a lot like how 1970's audiences were sick of Westerns and would thus turn to the comedy classic Blazing Saddles), and Megamind provided them their fill. Whatever the case, though, I'm glad that Megamind has gotten the attention it deserved because it does honestly have a lot going for it. However, it comes with the downside that now, it's getting a direct-to-Peacock film and TV series which look and feel a lot like Miraculous Ladybug than anything else. It's much like what happened with Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron where the studio executives saw a genuinely engaging movie for people of all ages that increased in popularity and decided it would be a great starting place for a kiddie franchise. Anyway, I decided before that atrocity comes out, it'd be best best to dive into the film that got everyone so excited in the first place.

Where to even start with Megamind? Usually with most animated films, especially of the Dreamworks kind, the premise can be summed up in a sentence or two. But here, there's so much going on in terms of plot it took a medium-sized paragraph to cover. And with you clearly so eager to get to the 3D review of the film, I don't think I can really go in-depth all the plot-lines going on in this 90-minute feature, and explain how their deconstructions of the typical superhero formula really aged like fine wine after the bland superhero flicks we've gotten as of late. While there aren't quite as many downright jokes the type we've gotten from films like Shrek and Madagascar, Megamind more than makes up for it with how much fun it has with its premise.

Early on, it has a whole damsel-in-distress routine where everyone is playing into their part except the damsel in distress Roxanne Richie, whose been kidnapped so many times before she doesn't even care what happens to her. This leads to plenty of witty back-and-forth banter between her, Megamind, and Metro Man. And it sets the tone for the rest of the movie. It's by no means irreverent, but it makes good, silly fun out of its twist on superhero movies. It gives Hal Stewart, a nerdy creep, godlike powers and sees how he would use them to his own benefit. I'm sure it was quite amusing back then. But in an age where people like Hal are kinda all over the place, it really makes the film all that more real. And even the ways that we see Megamind and Metro Man get brought up are simultaneously somewhat tragic and also a little funny. And it's all supported by the excellent voice talents of Will Farrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, David Cross, and Jonah Hill, all of which are completely irreplaceable in their roles.

There is so much more that I could write on about, but I will say that attention to detail given in the characters' motivations, stories, and personalities is so sharp that it works not only as a spoof of superhero flicks, but also as its own story. The film certainly works comedy into almost every aspect of its storytelling, and the characters themselves are simply just natural when they need to "be funny." But the message about choosing to do what's right does come across with a degree of sincerity. It's not superficial like in plenty of other kiddie movies, but instead a bit more organic. Once again, the story knows when to build things up and when to dial back on the humor to allow room for something more serious to take place. It all comes together in a very tightly written script that seems to seldom miss a beat and ends up bring everything together quite nicely.

It's honestly a bit strange how surprisingly often, animated superhero movies can end up becoming just as, if not more, iconic than most real superhero movies. We've got The Incredibles 1 & 2, the legendary Spider-Verse films, The LEGO Batman Movie is widely considered one of the best Batman movies, and here we've got Megamind, a superhero deconstruction that was way ahead of its time. I'd say of all those films, Megamind probably might not be the cream of the crop. It's message, while certainly gotten across better than seen in most animated films, is nothing that revolutionary. And while the chemistry all the actors have together is fantastic, the actual dialogue can tend to lose its comedic impact over time. But the thing about Megamind that for sure doesn't lose its impact is its script, which is not only inspired and clever with tons of little details you miss the first time around, but also knows how to pace itself excellently and make for a film that's just as entertaining on the 10th time you watch as the first. And it's a dang good thing people are finally coming around to realizing just how much this film has to offer. While the upcoming Megamind film and TV series on Peacock are certainly going to do their best and destroy whatever the original had going for it, I doubt it will leave much of an impact. Because as films like Megamind show, as long as you have the right inspiration and can put it into film in a unique, intelligent way, people will definitely come around to appreciating its greatness, even if it takes some time to get there.


OVERALL FILM REVIEW: 4/5


3D REVIEW

Megamind is Dreamworks second venture into 3D filmmaking. And not only does it hold up very well today, but in between this and Monsters vs. Aliens, the company at the time certainly cemented itself as one that knows how to properly use 3D. It's really saying something if it can get a 3D snob like Roger Ebert to say the image was "acceptable" and "well-used." But just exactly how great is it? Well, let's dive into it.

What makes Megamind so special is just how naturally its animated settings works with 3D. As for depth, about on par with many of Dreamwork's other features, they don't let up on how far back they let the backgrounds go. And in a movie with ample cityscapes and flight scenes, that's definitely a positive. Right from the start, we're treated to a top-down shot that makes you believe you're falling to the ground at a skyscrapers height. Then, we take a journey through space where two space pods are flying around, leaving smoke trails and going through an asteroid belt. Soon enough, we're on earth, with plenty of scene-stealing enormous locations that benefit from the added depth that include the Metro Man Museum, Megamind's Liar, and an immense skyscraper that shows up in a couple of scenes. And the flight sequences are excellent with enough top-down shots and sweeping camera composition to keep you on the edge of your seat. Even lower down on the ground, we get some mesmerizing crowd shots whether of people or of Megamind's brain bots, a laser light show, and some rain. But even inside, the 3D is well utilized giving places likes prisons, dining rooms, and once again, Megamind's Liar a great feeling of space and dimension. There are also a good handful of intriguing reflection shots, whether in mirrors or in windows, that are not only only neat to look at, but can also at times enhance certain story beats. Oh, and we can't forget the scenes, especially the one involving the movie title, that feature pieces of paper being held down from the ceiling by strings.

Like any good animated film, Megamind also gives us a good deal of fun pop outs, everything from machine guns to normal guns to people's fingers to lasers to babies being juggled (yep, you read that right) to the aforementioned brain bots to smoke to water to characters being thrown out of the screen to the tops of skyscrapers to even the famous spider, Arachnis deathicus.

This might just be one of the shortest 3D reviews I've even given. But that's probably because the reasons for Megamind's 3D greatness is pretty simple to pin down: it's just plain having fun with it in all the ways you want and expect. I wouldn't quite put this on the same level as some of Dreamwork's later 3D efforts like How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda (the 2010 conversion that is), as the story itself doesn't need the 3D to be fully appreciated. But the extra depth does add so much to the film that 3D is quite clearly the best way to get the most visual flair out of it. What more can I say? This is one creative family film with super scale. Watching it without 3D would be borderline criminal.


3D RATING: GREAT


OTHER SOURCES THAT REVIEW THIS MOVIE'S 3D:



Real Future Picture's Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGAfvwzLlGk



FINAL THOUGHTS


I don't know what more to say about Megamind. It's an animated film for all ages filled to brim with wit, fun characters, and funny moments. Whether or not you like superhero movies or animated movies, there's something here for everyone and I highly recommend it. It's a real shame it remained relatively dormant for almost a decade after getting overshadowed by the Despicable Me franchise. But like I said before, greatness always becomes appreciated sooner or later. And I'm glad now that people fully realize Megamind's big-brained spin on the superhero formula. While it probably might not be to superhero films what Shrek was to Disney films, I'd say it comes pretty darn close. For that reason alone, it's worth taking a look at. And springing for the 3D Blu-ray is obviously a no-brainer. That should be obvious given the Dreamworks name attached to it. It delivers all the 3D thrills and fun you could hope for in a movie like this. If you're a money-conscious collector looking only to get the best of the best of 3D films, does this one go highest on the priority list? Probably not. But if you're a fan of Megamind and looking to get the most out of it, do yourself a favor and go for the 3D version. And even if you're just a causal collector, you'll have no sense of buyer's remorse.


BUY IT HERE


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