DVD - Megamind

or: Anti-heroes saving the day.

One word to sum it up: Delightful.

Along with Jennifer Aniston romantic comedies, films about artificial insemination, Iraq war dramas and claustrophobically-themed thrillers, movies which have the anti-hero becoming the hero have been a particular trend-setter in Hollywood these days. We saw it in The Social Network. We saw it in Despicable Me. The next movie to adopt an unlikeable character as the lead is Megamind, one of the lesser animated movies from 2010. In a year filled with such amazing animated efforts like Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon and Tangled, Megamind was somewhat forgotten, and it was no where near as good as those three, but it's still another example of why animated movies rule the roost.

Super-villain Megamind (Will Ferrell) has defeated his good-guy nemesis Metro Man (Brad Pitt), and has found that life is tedious since he no longer has anyone to fight. So instead, Megamind creates a new foe, in the form of Titan (Jonah Hill). Titan has a different idea, though. He uses his new powers to destroy the world instead of be a hero like Metro Man was. So Megamind, now faced with the wrath of this powerful new villain, he has to save the world himself instead of destroy it, and get the girl (Tina Fey), who thinks that he is someone else.

There is absolutely nothing new about Megamind. If I were to compare this to anything else, I would say that this is exactly like Despicable Me without the cute kids and with a love interest. It even has a 'minion', so that comparison is hard to avoid. That's not to say that this is a bad movie. Like most other animated movies, this movie has a delightful cast, wonderful visuals and a few great laughs. The vocal cast is brilliant. I love Will Ferrell when he is voicing animated characters more than I enjoy his actual acting, as his over-the-top dramatic vocal work is actually quite funny and well suited to this. Tina Fey, the funny woman she is, also does beautiful voice work as the heroine. Brad Pitt's role was surprisingly small, but I did quite enjoy his performance. His character was a stand-out, too.

Being originally made in 3D, the visuals were of course great. I did feel that the visuals were similar to those in Monsters vs. Aliens, which highlights further that this movie has regurgitated a lot of material from it's far better predecessors. As would be expected of a kid's movie, the laughs were particularly large, even though many could be restricted to an older audience. If one has seen a lot of animated movies, especially those from Pixar, they might feel a little underwhelmed by the result of this film. It is forgettable, but it's quite an enjoyable watch, and one that should by no means be ignored. If you've seen Despicable Me, chances are you'll enjoy watching an exact copy of that one.

THE VERDICT: Megamind is much like any other animated film, in the way that it doesn't add anything unique and it's still extremely enjoyable.

What I hoped for:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What I got: (just)

DVD--The Other Guys

or: A movie filled with cop funnies.

One word to sum it up: Fun

Will Ferrell has always been one of those people who have divided my attention. I used to love him, until I realized that he hasn't really done anything substantial and his shtick isn't really that funny anymore. But his pairings with Adam McKay (Step Brothers, Talladega Nights, Anchorman) have always been funny, and even though The Other Guys isn't as good as those ones, it is still no exception. Throw in some Mark Wahlberg (who you may remember as rap-star 'Marky Mark' from back in the day) poking fun at an arrogant character and this movie has it made.

NYPD Detectives Christopher Danson and P.K. Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) are the baddest and most beloved cops in New York City. They don't get tattoos - other men get tattoos of them. Two desks over and one back, sit Detectives Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg). You've seen them in the background of photos of Danson and Highsmith, out of focus and eyes closed. They're not heroes - they're "the Other Guys." But every cop has his or her day and soon Gamble and Hoitz stumble into a seemingly innocuous case no other detective wants to touch that could turn into New York City's biggest crime. It's the opportunity of their lives, but do these guys have the right stuff?

Putting Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg together in the long list of 'buddy cops' in these types of movies is weird, but the mismatched duo really work. Sure, Wahlberg may have been a little too arrogant, but this is no match for his Oscar-nominated turn as the super arrogant Dignam in The Departed. Ferrell is just very same-same, which should be a shame. If you're used to Ferrell's typical antics, then chances are you will probably love this film. Even though they disappear early in the film, Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson remain a high point in the movie, as they also poke fun at the 'tough cop' stereotype. Essentially, this is a movie which has no problem in making fun of the cop stereotype the film industry has built up over the years.

The story of the movie is a little dry, but the laughs within the script come thick and fast. It's be ages since a comedy has actually been funny. The Other Guys fills the gap of a time largely devoid of laughs quite well, and all in all, it is a pretty funny movie. Typically funny, but there are lot of fresh laughs to be had. Especially when Mark Wahlberg shows off his 'ballet talents' to his girlfriend. If it's a laugh you're after, then look no further than The Other Guys. They're actually quite funny.


THE VERDICT: The Other Guys is the kind of movie that is the normal comedy we see these days, but is made all the better by the mismatched partnership of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.

7/10