Megamind

Review by Sean Lynch

At some point in time, modern day comedy is going to run out of classic pop culture references to reference leaving us with little more than pop culture referencing of pop culture references - which hardly makes for entertaining, or even nostalgic, entertainment.

While there is the common complaint that Hollywood has run out of ideas - remaking and rebooting every book, franchise and Twitter account they can get their hands on - I'm going to go out on a limb and say comedy is running out of steam too.

Much like Kevin Smith's Cop Out, Megamind is the type of "homage" to a classic pop culture tale (with a "clever spin" of course... because, without saying "clever spin" it's called just called "plagiarism") that simply reminds you how good what they are actually referencing is... and how much of a waste of time what you are actually watching is.

Megamind kicks off like Superman - alien planet crumbling, last born son sent to Earth - except with the "Clever Twist ™" being that another alien planet is crumbling at the same time and also send their only son to Earth too.

Of course, one becomes the quintessential hero of Metro City - the other is left to play the role of the most brilliant super villain the world has ever known... and the least successful.

Over the years, Megamind has tried to conquer Metro City in every imaginable way - each attempt, a colossal failure thanks to the caped superhero known as "Metro Man," until the day Megamind actually defeats him in the throes of one of his botched evil plans. 

Suddenly, the fate of Metro City is threatened when a new villain arrives and chaos runs rampant, leaving everyone to wonder : Can the world’s biggest "mind" actually be the one to save the day?

Had the Superhero satire not been perfected years ago with Disney's The Invincibles, then perhaps Megamind wouldn't seem like such a Mega-Yawn.

Despite an excellent comedy cast consisting of Will Ferrell (doing, what can only be described as, "Dr. Evil : Part Deux"), Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross and Brad Pitt - Megamind's distinct lack of jokes and over reliance on scraping humour from the well worn barrel that is Pop Culture is an ever present problem.

As usual, with any big budget CGI flick, the visuals are spectacular (although, the 3D leaves a lot to be desired) but there simply isn't enough unique material here to make it worth your while.

Make it easier - and cheaper - on yourself. Go to the DVD store and rent The Invincibles or any of the Superman movies. They are referenced in weakly written comedies like Megamind because people love those films... and love them because they are actually good.

2 out of 5

Megamind
Australian release: 9th December, 2010
Official Site: Megamind
Cast: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill
Director: Tom McGrath