Enjoyable animation

WHEN I heard there was a film staring Brad Pitt and Will Ferrell I said to myself: 'self, how can this movie possibly be anything less than brilliant?'

Initially, I didn't care about the premise of the plot, who else was in it, or how long it lasted ... I just couldn't wait to see how two of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood (who are the unequivocal antithesis of each other) would interact on screen.

Then I found out, this is an animated movie!

That meant that the interaction would be purely based on the dialogue, not the quintessential Brad Pitt smoldering smirk that can melt a girl's heart, or Will Ferrell's goofy grin that instantly makes you giggle.

I find that with animated movies of this kind, it's often hit or miss because when the formula is right, it's really right ... but when it's wrong, well ...

I remember watching The Incredibles with my nephew a few years ago, and to this day I don't know which of us enjoyed it more. For me, there is something really great about superheroes and the ideals they fight for.

However, with Megamind, it's the villain that you empathise with, which I think is an unexpected touch of genius.

So, why do you have feelings for the villain, because although he's painstakingly predicable, Will Ferrell is a loveable idiot who brings a sense of child-like wonder and vulnerability to his roles. He can make you love a character that you would ordinarily find egocentric, selfish, stupid and generally hate.

The plot is fairly straight forward (since this is a children's movie, after all) but the simplicity adds to the overall charm because it's not mentally taxing (at least it shouldn't be for an adult) and it's far more fitting for young children than the superfluously convoluted drivel that JK Rowling helped spew out in her latest Harry Potter offering.

This animation is almost a parody of a superhero movie because parts of it are blatantly influenced by classics like Superman, but rather than a being a clear-cut parody, it's almost an homage. A good example of this is the opening sequence when two young aliens from different planets are put into escape pods to flee their respective plants after a black hole threatens to destroy both worlds.

One of the aliens is a handsome young chap with amazing super powers and he crash-lands into the lap of luxury on Earth, the other alien is much less fortunate and besides having a huge blue head, his pod lands in a prison yard (could be worse, at least he didn't land in the prison showers). Each of them becomes a product of their upbringing and it makes you wonder just how different Superman would be if his pod had landed in prison instead of the Kent's farm.

The aliens end up going to the same school and while the first alien is adored by all around him, the young blue chap with the bulbous head is ostracised and ridiculed by his classmates. After trying (unsuccessfully) for years to gain respect - or at very least the acceptance - of his peers, old blue decides he has had enough and if he can't make people love him, he CAN make them fear him, so he turns into a diabolical super villain and makes it his mission to destroy his rival.

As they grow up they both assume alternate identities and while the beloved alien becomes Metroman, the hero of Metro City, the outcast takes the guise of Megamind and the two are constantly locked in battle.

One day, when Megamind actually succeeds in defeating the famed superhero, he takes control of the city, turning it into a den of chaos. However, without a hero to fight, Megamind feels that he has lost his purpose and seeks to create a new hero and rival to liven up his life again.

In my opinion, this film is a 'must see' for families looking for some good clean fun. That's not to say there is nothing to entertain the adults, quite the opposite, in fact, there are several allusions that will go right over the kid's heads but are sure to provide a guilty chuckle from the grown ups.

Showing in Cineco, Seef II and Saar Cineplex