IMAX 3D: *** out of (****)
Going into Dreamwork's latest concoction of laughs and slapstic, entitled "Megamind", I quite frankly didn't know what to expect. Typically, Will Ferrel has been a hit-or-miss actor who's mostly followed the latter, Tina Fey can pull one-liners out of her sleep and her delivery will still be humorous, and Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill get on my every nerve. Furthermore, while Dreamworks can pull a winner from out of their hat here-and-there ("Shrek", "How to train your dragon"), they're also notorious for pulling out cliché, by-the-numbers, family junk- food entertainment that reaches for the lowest common denominator on every level ("Monsters vs. Aliens"). There was simply no attractions that sparked my interest or reached above a thirty on Rotten Tomatoes at the time so I thought what the heck. It turns out, "Megamind" isn't so formulaic as I thought it to be. Now don't be fooled, this isn't any "Shrek" by any means (in fact, it's about 1/4 of its quality), but for what it was, it was pretty good.
Since everyone is pretty safe with the whole "superhero vs. supervillian" concept, I'll save my breathe and time. How are the performances? Pretty much how you'd expect them to pan out. Tina Fey is great as always, Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill still got on my nerves, and Will Ferrel was a hit this time. Everyone did what they had to do and did neither better nor worse than the viewer's average expectation. To top it off, while the story is not entirely inventive, the director throws the audience a few twists and turns. And since this is Dreamworks, even the trashiest of the trash are entertaining. However, the movie does start out a little slow. Oh and how can I forget the incredible action sequences? The action may be animated but it delivers. Explositions, fire, etc. This movie has it all.
Now what about the little bumps in the road? Megamind, while labeled as a comedy, didn't make me laugh as nearly as much as I had hoped for. Furthermore, like I previously stated, the exposition is kind of slow. Moreover, while there are twists and turns, it can get predictable in some spots. To top it off the "body switching" segment got old very fast.
Out of all the independent mind-provoking, in-depth character studies that don't see the light of day, how could a movie like "Megamind" slip under the rug you might ask? While this is very devastating to hear, a movie like "Megamind" could have been a lot worse. To go an extra mile, "Megamind" is actually good. It won't win any Oscars but it wins a place in my heart. Superb 3D, decent performances, and a good script makes me recommend this comedy-action 3D extravaganza. Recommended.
IMAX 3-D MINI-REVIEW: Seeing "Megamind" in IMAX 3D was certainly no waste of money. The picture is as clear and detailed as if it were seen on a 1080p LCD HDTV, unlike standard digital 3D projections. The 3D was a notch better than non- 3D IMAX films and actually is as good, if not better, than viewed on a 3D film. The 3D has so much depth and occasional gimmicks to quench the audience's thirst. If you are seeing "Megamind", see it in IMAX 3D. Had I not seen it in this format, my score would probably be a "6".
Going into Dreamwork's latest concoction of laughs and slapstic, entitled "Megamind", I quite frankly didn't know what to expect. Typically, Will Ferrel has been a hit-or-miss actor who's mostly followed the latter, Tina Fey can pull one-liners out of her sleep and her delivery will still be humorous, and Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill get on my every nerve. Furthermore, while Dreamworks can pull a winner from out of their hat here-and-there ("Shrek", "How to train your dragon"), they're also notorious for pulling out cliché, by-the-numbers, family junk- food entertainment that reaches for the lowest common denominator on every level ("Monsters vs. Aliens"). There was simply no attractions that sparked my interest or reached above a thirty on Rotten Tomatoes at the time so I thought what the heck. It turns out, "Megamind" isn't so formulaic as I thought it to be. Now don't be fooled, this isn't any "Shrek" by any means (in fact, it's about 1/4 of its quality), but for what it was, it was pretty good.
Since everyone is pretty safe with the whole "superhero vs. supervillian" concept, I'll save my breathe and time. How are the performances? Pretty much how you'd expect them to pan out. Tina Fey is great as always, Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill still got on my nerves, and Will Ferrel was a hit this time. Everyone did what they had to do and did neither better nor worse than the viewer's average expectation. To top it off, while the story is not entirely inventive, the director throws the audience a few twists and turns. And since this is Dreamworks, even the trashiest of the trash are entertaining. However, the movie does start out a little slow. Oh and how can I forget the incredible action sequences? The action may be animated but it delivers. Explositions, fire, etc. This movie has it all.
Now what about the little bumps in the road? Megamind, while labeled as a comedy, didn't make me laugh as nearly as much as I had hoped for. Furthermore, like I previously stated, the exposition is kind of slow. Moreover, while there are twists and turns, it can get predictable in some spots. To top it off the "body switching" segment got old very fast.
Out of all the independent mind-provoking, in-depth character studies that don't see the light of day, how could a movie like "Megamind" slip under the rug you might ask? While this is very devastating to hear, a movie like "Megamind" could have been a lot worse. To go an extra mile, "Megamind" is actually good. It won't win any Oscars but it wins a place in my heart. Superb 3D, decent performances, and a good script makes me recommend this comedy-action 3D extravaganza. Recommended.
IMAX 3-D MINI-REVIEW: Seeing "Megamind" in IMAX 3D was certainly no waste of money. The picture is as clear and detailed as if it were seen on a 1080p LCD HDTV, unlike standard digital 3D projections. The 3D was a notch better than non- 3D IMAX films and actually is as good, if not better, than viewed on a 3D film. The 3D has so much depth and occasional gimmicks to quench the audience's thirst. If you are seeing "Megamind", see it in IMAX 3D. Had I not seen it in this format, my score would probably be a "6".