A Super-Villain Faces an Existential Crisis in Megamind

Last year saw the release of two computer-animated films about not-so-evil villains struggling to determine whether their dastardly ambitions can ever bring them true fulfillment. I had hoped to catch both Despicable Me and Megamind in theaters, but I ended up settling for DVD. The former rose to the top of my Netflix queue in early March, and I found it thoroughly charming. This month, I got to check out Megamind, and I found it equally satisfying.

Despicable Me aims at a younger audience, with more slapstick, a lead with a silly accent and three young girls as the major secondary characters. The pull of parenthood causes hunched, hook-nosed Gru to deviate from his plans, and the theme of longing for a family makes it relatable viewing for young and old alike. Megamind, on the other hand, is clearly designed more for adults. Megamind is a bald, scrawny blue humanoid who was launched toward Earth as an infant with an unknown destiny heavy upon him.  Barreling toward Earth right alongside him was the baby who would grow up to become Metro Man, who looks like a typical human, only burlier, more classically perfect.  He had the privilege of a pampered upbringing, while Megamind was raised in prison.  All their lives, these two aliens have been dodging each other, with Metro Man, adored hero of Metro City, always just one step ahead.  Until now.

Megamind (Will Ferrell) has grown used to the routine of baiting Metro Man (Brad Pitt) by kidnapping saucy reporter Roxanne (Tina Fey). None of his predictable scare tactics faze her, and when the inevitable confrontation comes, the nemeses’ quick banter conveys a sense that the two are rather enjoying themselves. This is all little more than a game, albeit a tired one. It’s a game Megamind gleefully schemes to win – but when the dust from his latest encounter settles and he finds himself the victor for a change, he realizes just how empty his life is without his destructive goal to fall back on.

Megamind is a story demonstrating the way that love can combat inhumane impulses, with Roxanne filling a previously unnoticed void in the blue villain’s life in much the same way as the orphans in Despicable Me. I often found myself reminded of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog as I watched. The obvious hero is narcissistic and more concerned with adulation than the improvement of the city whose residents worship him. The villain is cunning but clearly doesn’t have a strong taste for violence. Compassion stirs within him at inconvenient times. In a guileless guise, he befriends Roxanne and begins to wonder if his life might be more worthwhile if he considered a different path. What is a man to do when his purpose has been realized and the years stretch out before him, full of terrifying possibility? It’s an existential quandary.

Jonah Hill brings a slightly skeezy slacker vibe to the role of Hal, Roxanne’s cameraman. At first he just seems like a lovable chump who can’t get the girl embroiled in a world of supernatural powers, but by the time Megamind decides to involve him in his next big scheme, it’s apparent that this young man has a little something extra, an indefinable quality that will make him stand out. But will he play into the plan that Megamind has groomed him for, or will he veer off-course? Other fairly major characters include bland museum guard Bernard (Ben Stiller); the crusty prison warden (J. K. Simmons) who knows Megamind all too well; and Minion (David Cross), an extraterrestrial fish who was sent to be Megamind’s caretaker. Much of the film’s comedy comes from these side characters.

The film has a rather dark and foreboding quality to it, with many scenes of ruination and cold technology. At times, the atmosphere almost reminded me of The Dark Knight, though the tone is never that oppressive. Nonetheless, this is a movie that broods, so while I’m not sure I would deem it inappropriate for children, I think adults will get the most out of it. In addition to the somber reflections on finding meaning in a confusing world, the movie offers homages to superhero and espionage conventions that will probably be best appreciated by those with more extensive viewing experience. For family film night, then, I would first recommend Despicable Me. But if you’re in the mood for something a little bit more adult-oriented, why not wrap your mind around Megamind?

I Won't Call Foul on Ferrell in Elf

Lately, I've been deluged with advertisements in which a dopey basketball player with big hair played by Will Ferrell promotes the movie Semi-Pro. Although Ferrell was my favorite Saturday Night Live cast member during his time on the show, largely because of his hilarious impersonations of such venerable figures as George W. Bush, Alex Trebek and James Lipton, I've generally found his films to be crude and stupid. However, there has been one notable exception to that trend.

Elf stars Ferrell as Buddy, the tallest elf in Santa's workshop. He lives in a world built for people half his size and smaller. Though he's bursting with Christmas cheer, always wearing an exuberant grin as he prances about in his green suit and yellow tights, physically, he just doesn't fit in, and there's a very good reason for that. Buddy is not an elf.

No, he's a regular old human who stowed away in Santa's (Ed Asner) pack as an infant and wound up at the North Pole, a fish out of water but still presumably much happier than he would have been at the orphanage he left. Though he loves his frosty home and especially the elf who raised him (Bob Newhart), when he gets the shocking truth about his past, Buddy is determined to go to the big city and meet his father (James Caan). But the naive young man with the emotional maturity of a five-year-old isn't prepared for what lies ahead...

Ferrell completely throws himself into his performance, making Buddy funny without being obnoxious, sweet without being saccharine. Yes, he's over-the-top, but having seen what Ferrell is capable of, I'd say he exercised admirable restraint. While Buddy was physically out of place at the North Pole, he is mentally out of place in New York City, impossibly bright-eyed and naive like Giselle in Disney's Enchanted.

Like Giselle, he finds himself falling for a jaded New Yorker. In this case, it's department store elf Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), who isn't too full of the Christmas spirit. Their romance unfolds gradually, prodded along by Buddy's encouragement for her to sing, an activity she doesn't want to admit she loves. Speaking of singing, the movie got a nice little squeal out of me with an off-hand reference to Simon and Garfunkel; if you love Paul and Artie as much as I do, keep an ear out!

While I don't expect much out of Semi-Pro, Elf is a thoroughly enjoyable movie, a gently funny showcase of all the best Ferrell has to offer, and I hope he has a film or two along those family-friendly lines in his future.