“Do the same thing as last time. Everyone's happy.”
After their early success this year with The Lego Movie, Phil Lord and Chris Miller are back in the director’s chair for the sequel to their 2012 hit comedy, 21 Jump Street. It is a difficult feat to pull off a comedy sequel considering the fans are expecting the same formula from the original film but at the same time they also want something fresh and unique. There isn’t really anything unique about this sequel considering it is basically the same movie as the original with a few exceptions. It continues to bank on the great chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum and that is basically what kept me engaged with this film because most of the jokes were kind of predictable and repetitive. The screenwriters are also having fun with the fact that they know sequels are usually unimaginative and they simply tend to get louder, so they included several self-referential jokes throughout the film. 22 Jump Street is basically a parody of most Hollywood sequels, but I wouldn’t go as far as saying that it is better than the original because several of the jokes felt forced and repetitive. I’ll give this film credit for the energy and the bromantic chemistry between the leads, but there isn’t much more to this sequel. It is better than most comedies that have come out this year, but I don’t think it lives up to the freshness of the original film. There are some sharp and witty jokes throughout the film, but there are also many awkward moments where the comedy really doesn’t work. 22 Jump Street succeeds because it sticks with the same formula as the original, but I was hoping it would at least feel fresh and inventive. The self-mockery works for a while, but it isn’t enough to give it a free pass for it.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are the reason why these comedies have worked so well, and it is hard to find a comedic duo with so much chemistry as these two. The story however is rather weak, and you really don’t care much for the plot. The leads are basically the reason why you will have a good time with the comedy, but I wish they could’ve put a little more effort on the plot. Some of the secondary performances were weak and I really had a problem with Jillian Bell’s performance as Mercedes. She brought the film down for me and every time she spoke I felt like the scene was forced on us. Ice Cube has a fantastic scene alongside Jonah Hill which had me rolling on the floor. That scene was hilarious along with the final credit sequences which were also fantastic. I understand why some critics consider this to be funnier than the original, but I still prefer the freshness of 21 Jump Street over this recycled sequel.
"The universe is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere."
Having seen David O. Russell's last three films which amassed him several Oscar nominations, I wanted to go back to one of his earlier projects that I missed. I had heard mix reviews about I Heart Huckabees, but I went into it with high expectations considering his latest films blew me away. I was really disappointed with the film despite the talented cast because the premise didn't appeal to me and the comedy didn't work for me either. The film centers on philosophical elements such as existentialism and nihilism, but it is treated in such a way that it seemed as if they were making fun of these theories without actually being funny. It isn't as deep as it is trying to be and despite the style that David O. Russell brings to the film it never managed to engage me. It's as if Russell simply mixed all these philosophical ideas in a blender and the result was I Heart Huckabees. The cast made the film a bit more tolerable considering they all bring their unique charisma, but the story simply didn't work for me. It was an annoying and frustrating experience where some of the comedic moments felt forced and unauthentic. Despite trying to be unique and quirky it was a forgettable experience and by far my least favorite film from David O. Russell. The cast put a lot of energy into the film, but it seems to be directed all over the place and the result was a rather pointless and uneven movie. I can see why some people fell in love with this existential comedy, but it simply didn't appeal to me due to the absurd premise. It is no secret that I'm not a big fan of surreal films, but I have enjoyed some when they at least have some narrative coherence. It wasn't the case with I Heart Huckabees.
The cast in this movie is extremely talented, and we have come to expect this coming from a Russell film because every actor in Hollywood is lining up to work with him. Jason Schwartzman is the sort of actor who is perfect for these quirky films. He is at his best working with Wes Anderson, and here he seems to be playing one of his characters. His chemistry with Jude Law and Mark Wahlberg was great. Perhaps the reason why I didn't hate this film was due to their performance because they elevated the material for me. Wahlberg had the funniest scenes and the only time I laughed in this film was with several of his anger outbursts. Naomi Watts and Lily Tomlin also delivered strong performances. Dustin Hoffman was a bit too quirky and his character was actually inspired by Russell's philosophy professor (Uma Thurman's father). I imagine he was highly exaggerated because his character was really out there. Isla Fisher and Jonah Hill have small cameos in this film and it was sort of a highlight for me to see them on screen. This was Hill's first feature film and no one would have imagined how successful he has become (two Oscar nominations for his recent work). As profound as the film tries to be I really don't feel like it has transcended and it should be ranked amongst Russell's weakest films over time.
"My name is Jordan Belfort. The year I turned 26, I made 49 million dollars, which really pissed me off because it was three shy of a million a week."
How do you begin to write a review about a film that has so much things to comment on? The Wolf of Wall Street is an overblown energetic and hilarious film about these egocentric, greedy, immoral stockbrokers that we are supposed to hate, but ultimately end up rooting for because we have spent so much time laughing with them. These guys make Gordon Gekko from Wall Street look like a saint. Martin Scorsese is a genius; he can basically direct any movie he wants to and make it appealing. This is his follow up to Hugo (which was a brilliant family film) and he takes a 180 degree turn here with The Wolf of Wall Street and makes a comedy about these egocentric rich characters who have no moral boundaries, who spend their time getting high, objectifying women, and which should have been rated NC-17 because their excesses are constantly repeated over and over again on screen. Many people criticize the fact that it's so long and overblown, but I think that's exactly the point Scorsese is trying to get across by repeating their excesses and debauchery. If there is one word I'd have to use to describe this film it'd be energetic. The film is so energetic and you get it through each one of the brilliant performances in the movie. This is a filthy dark comedy, but one that will stick with you and have you question yourself for having rooted for these characters. I understand the comparisons with Scorsese's Goodfellas in that the characters wrongful behavior is what we become attracted to and makes the film so edgy. I'm not supposed to root for these guys, they are the villains, they do terrible things, we are all their victims, but then why do we want them to get away with what they're doing? These are all questions that only begin to come up long after the credits have rolled and eventually you realize that these guys deserved far worse punishment and got away too easy (but wait that is what really happened with all these Wall Street stockbrokers that almost ruined the country), and that is why Scorsese is such a brilliant director because he is so subtle in getting his message across and does so in such an energetic and funny way.
The screenplay was adapted by Terence Winter from Jordan Belfort's autobiographical book about his rise to becoming a millionaire as a Long Island penny stockbroker. At age 22, Jordan (Leonardo DiCaprio) received early training from his boss Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey) and eventually gets a stockbroker license, but the company melts down on his first day and he's left in the streets again. His wife, Teresa (Cristin Milioti), recommends him a job at Investor Center, which happens to be a very unprofessional small establishment that only deals with penny stocks, but has incredibly high commissions. Jordan is a natural and pitches sales so well that he rises to the top easily again. One day a neighbor named Donnie (Jonah Hill) comes up to him and asks him how he makes so much money, which leads him to decide to get into stocks and work for him. The two find a garage and set up their own business bringing along some of their friends: Robbie (Brian Sacca), Alden (Henry Zebrowski), Chester (Kenneth Choi), Nicky (PJ Byrne), Toby (Ethan Suplee), and Brad (Jon Bernthal). Jordan teaches them how to pith the sales and over the years the company grows at a very high rate and even gets marketing from Forbes Magazine where Jordan is nicknamed as the Wolf of Wall Street. These guys don't care about their clients and will tell them anything just to make a sale, and do a bunch of illegal things along the way which eventually gets them into trouble with the law, specifically FBI Agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler) who begins to follow their every move. Along the way in the midst of all the parties, sex, and drugs, Jordan falls for the beautiful Naomi (Margot Robbie) and eventually divorces his wife and marries her. The film continues to follow Jordan's excesses as he becomes more and more addicted to drugs, the most powerful of all being money.
Scorsese makes several great statements in this film about the world of Wall Street, similar to what he did with the gangster world in Goodfellas. He doesn't shy away from their egocentric world portraying numerous scenes where the characters are getting high, having sex, and getting rich at expense of the rest of the world. He also makes it clear that money is the most dangerous and addictive drug of all, and these men don't know where to draw the line. There are several scenes that truly stood out for me like the scene where Mark teaches Jordan what the business is really about, or when Jordan and Donnie meet for the first time, or when Jordan meets with Agent Dunham in his yacht. In the midst of all the crazy debauchery, these small conversation scenes work so well giving the characters more depth. There are also hilarious scenes like the one where Jordan and Donnie suffer from a delayed drug side effect, mixed with some very dark scenes as well like when Jordan has a huge fight with Naomi portraying him at his lowest point. The performances in this film are also incredible, Leonardo DiCaprio gives his best and funniest performance to date, the scenes where he gives his employees pep talks are mesmerizing, Jonah Hill is also at his best and has some extremely funny and insane scenes, they both truly deserve Oscar nominations for their work here. Matthew McConaughey is no longer a surprise, he has been exceptional in his latest films, but he has a very small role here, Margot Robbie gives an outstanding performance in a world where females are completely objectified, Rob Reiner is funny as Jordan's father, and finally Kyle Chandler also stood out for me as the only character who seemed to be morally incorruptible. They all bring so much energy to this film making the three hours go by fast despite being overblown and repetitive.
¨Seth, that's some of the better acting that I've seen in your last six movies. Where was that in The Green Hornet?¨
This is the End is probably the most fun I've had with a comedy all year; I laughed so hard especially during the first hour of this raunchy/bromantic/stoner comedy. This is the directorial debut for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg who have both written several screenplays together. Some of their screenplays have been hilarious (Pineapple Express, Superbad, and this one), while others have been a huge failure (The Watch and The Green Hornet). This film is actually based on a short they did in 2007, Jay and Seth Versus the Apocalypse. What I liked about the screenplay here is that they took a lot of risks and went places I`d never think anyone would. They weren't afraid of making fun of each other, some of their failures in movies such as The Green Hornet, but at the same time they also kind of played themselves (and one would imagine this is how they interact with each other normally). These guys were absolutely hilarious and I loved every second they were on screen together, but on the other hand I thought the film had a weaker second half containing some comedy/horror. It went too far for my personal taste, but I still have to give this film a lot of credit because it had me laughing during pretty much the entire first hour. There are a lot of movies and celebrity references that worked really well, and I can imagine that most of the dialogues here were improvised but that worked really well. The cameos were also used extremely well here and I thought they were all great. Some of the standouts here were Michael Cera making fun of himself, Danny McBride being ridiculously over the top with his antics, James Franco playing along with the gay rumors about himself and his pseudo artistic side, Jonah Hill being extremely nice but reminding us all he was nominated for Moneyball, Craig Robinson just being himself and singing along his hit song, Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel trying to maintain their friendship which has cooled off over time due to Seth`s new posies. There are just so many scenes that had me laughing out loud and so many funny lines that it is hard to pick my favorite moments. Emma Watson also had a great cameo and she looked lovely as always. Movie lovers will love all the references here and if you liked Pineapple Express than you are in for a treat as well as they discuss what the sequel would be about. If you've enjoyed Superbad and Pineapple Express than you`re guaranteed to like this film because it keeps some of the core elements that made those movies so funny: the bromance and the raunchy dialogues.
This is the End is a film where every actor plays himself. I would say some play complete opposite personalities than the ones they actually have, or exaggerated versions of themselves, and they play along with the way critics or fans have tagged them. The film begins with Seth Rogen receiving Jay Baruchel at Los Angeles airport. Jay doesn't like LA very much, but Seth always makes him feel comfortable at his home. After a warm reception, Seth invites Jay to come along with him to James Franco's housewarming party. Jay doesn't really want to go because he doesn't get along really well with his friends, but goes anyway. At Franco's home there are several celebrities such as Rihanna, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Krumholtz, Aziz Ansari, Jason Segel, and many others who are all getting wasted and stoned. Seth introduces Jay to his closest buddies: Franco, Jonah Hill (who is extremely nice to Jay, but this just makes Jay feel awkward), and Craig Robinson. All of a sudden there is a big earthquake and a gigantic hole in the ground begins swallowing people. The apocalypse seems to be among us. Jay, James, Seth, Jonah, and Craig seem to be the only survivors at the house and they decide they must stick together and wait for rescuers to come and save them. The next day, Danny McBride shows up after having passed out during the party without having no clue of what happened. Now the six friends must find a way to survive and get along with each other if they want to make it through the apocalypse.
I know the plot doesn't seem all that exciting, but it really is hilarious to see these guys together. The narrative isn`t the strongest thing about This is the End, what makes this film special is that the guys aren`t afraid to take risks and they take the classical stoner comedies to another level. The movie isn't really about the apocalypse, it is actually more about friendship and self-parody (the guys are extremely narcissist at times). If you want to know what the true definition of bromance is then by all means go see this. The narrative may not work too well in the second half of the movie, but it really has to do with the dynamics between these characters who will do what it takes to survive. Despite the ridiculous plot, it is just so fun to watch these characters interact with each other and make fun of the things we`ve made fun of in their bad movies. The film can be very tasteless at times, but it is really funny. The comedy and horror was well balanced as well so I would have to admit this is the funniest movie of the year so far despite some ridiculous moments.
¨There is an alien invasion happening; they are
among us.¨
The Watch had an outstanding comedic cast like
most summer comedies tend to, but the material failed to live up to those
talents once again. I really liked these actors and was hoping the film to be a
huge success, but despite laughing several times I felt this film was missing
something. I found myself laughing throughout several scenes, but at the same
time thinking to myself how ridiculous and predictable the plot and jokes were.
The material isn’t really that good, but we have excellent actors that can make
a mediocre movie into a better one and this was the case. The jokes weren’t as
funny as the performers. I`m still waiting for that one hit comedy of the year
(I haven’t seen Ted yet and am hoping that will be it), but I was definitely disappointed
with The Watch despite not having a terrible time with it. The Watch is one of
those films you might enjoy watching once if you`re really bored, but you will
probably want to stay away from a second viewing. The characters are all common
stereotypes: you have the nerd who wants to please and befriend everyone, the
man child who is always screaming (a character that Will Ferrell made famous),
the sex driven guy with the funny accent, and the tough guy who still lives
with his mother. They all come together once again for this buddy comedy that
mixes the humor with a sci-fi adventure theme that really never works. The
action and the comedy didn’t blend in as well as it did in Pineapple Express
for example, and in my opinion this film was trying to set a familiar tone.
The plot revolves around four guys who decide
to start a neighborhood watch group after a murder takes place in their small
town. Evan (Ben Stiller) is always trying to please people and keeping busy in
the community by starting local clubs and events. He`s also the local manager
of Costco and happily married to Abby (Rosemarie DeWitt) with whom he`s trying
to have a child. When a local guard from Costco is murdered he decides to begin
a neighborhood watch in order to keep everyone safe and find the murderer. The
police in town represented by Sgt. Bressman (Will Forte) are pretty incompetent,
so Evan finds it in his kind heart to help despite not anyone else carrying.
Only three neighbors show up to the first meeting after Evan gives his uninspiring
speech to the community; they are Franklin (Jonah Hill), Bob (Vince Vaughn),
and Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade). The three of them really show up for different
reasons: Bob wants to escape his married life and bond with the guys, Franklin
always wanted to be a police officer but failed his exams, and Jamarcus is the
foreigner who wants to make new friends (and if possible save a beautiful girl
so she can reward him). None of them really know what they are going to go up
against, and the rest of the community think they are a joke. The criminal they
are looking for turns out not to be human, and when they encounter the alien
for the first time they take it upon themselves to protect their neighbors at
all costs.
The film is as ridiculous as the premise sounds
but you will find yourself laughing throughout the film because of the talented
cast working together. One of the funniest scenes for me revolved around the
four guys taking pictures of themselves with an apparently dead alien, but you
can watch this scene in the trailers so I guess it`s not saying much. The film
is really predictable and forgettable but I didn’t find it really awful either.
By tomorrow I will have probably forgot all about it, but for an evening in
which I had nothing to do it was ok. This is perhaps one of Seth Rogen`s worst
work as a screenwriter although he had some help this time and therefore can share
the blame. The director, Akiva Schaffer, really hasn’t had much experience as a
film director since he is mostly known for his direction in Saturday Night Live.
The film itself could have probably worked better as a five minute SNL sketch
than a full feature film. Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller should try to do
something different and move away from their typical roles. I could have said
the same thing about Jonah Hill, but he did try something different in
Moneyball and it completely worked for him, but he came back once again to his
typical role. Richard Ayoade I had not heard of so I can`t say anything on his
behalf, but it pretty much felt to me that all these actors played it safe with
their roles and didn’t take any risks. That is why no one will remember The
Watch came out by the end of the year.
¨You know what they do to handsome guy like me
in prison. It rhymes with grape.¨
I have to admit I knew nothing about the TV
series before watching this movie, but I did find it to be one of the best
comedies of the year. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill were great together in this
buddy comedy and the dialogue in this film was extremely funny although very
vulgar (as Jonah Hill always is). 21 Jump Street, directed by the duo that
brought us Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Phil Lord and Chris Miller, is a
very entertaining and funny film. It had me laughing from the very beginning. I
can’t say if it is anything like the series was because this is a buddy comedy
and I understand the series was more of a mystery action drama. I guess if you
were a fan of the series you might enjoy some of the references and cameos that
showed up in the movie, but it isn`t important to know anything about it
because 21 Jump Street works on its own as a very funny comedy. The script
written by Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the Word) and Jonah Hill is very
slick and funny. There are plenty of smart and funny dialogues throughout the
film. I was entertained from the very beginning all the way to the very end so
I absolutely recommend this movie.
Schmidt (Jonah Hill) was nothing like Jenko
(Channing Tatum) in High School, Schmidt was more of a nerd while Jenko was the
popular jock. Despite not being friends in school, they meet at the Police
Academy and decide they can help each other out: Schmidt is good with the
written test, but lacks the physical strength, while Jenko is in perfect shape
but can`t pass the exams. The two help each other out and become best friends
before graduating as police officers. Life in uniforms isn’t as full of action
as they expected as they are assigned to guard a local park in their bikes.
They are finally given the opportunity to go undercover at a local High School
where a dangerous synthetic drug is being dealt with. They are only chosen
because both still look young so Schmidt and Jenko find themselves back in
school. Captain Dickson (Ice Cube) assigns them with their new identities and
Schmidt is sent back to his parent’s house along with his new brother Jenko. At
school their identities are swapped and Jenko ends up with the nerds studying
advanced chemistry while Schmidt has to deal with acting lessons and sports.
Somehow Schmidt begins to enjoy life as one of the popular kids in the group,
while Jenko discovers what it`s like not to be popular anymore. Schmidt befriends
Eric (Dave Franco) right away as he discovers he is one of the dealers, and
also falls for Molly (Brie Larson) his acting partner.
The movie works really well thanks to the great
chemistry between Tatum and Hill, and thanks to the smart script. I wasn`t
really expecting this movie to be as good as it was so I was really surprised
with how much I ended up enjoying this film. I left the theater with a big
smile on my face. It is one of those movies which you won`t have any trouble
going to see it again with other friends who haven’t seen it. The cameos in
this film are also pretty great and I enjoyed each one of them. The movie also
makes some funny references about itself so it actually acknowledges some of
the ridiculousness of its plot which actually makes it even funnier. There is
one scene where they are ripping off how movies from the 80`s are being
recycled now due to lack of fresh ideas. 21 Jump Street isn`t afraid of laughing
at itself and its silly premise, which ends up making the film even better.
This is one of the surprise comedies of 2012, and I hope plenty of more come
out this year.
¨There are rich teams and there are poor teams, then there's fifty-feet of crap, and then there's us. ¨
Moneyball was among the best films I`ve seen this year. It really caught me by surprise since I`m not a big baseball fan and wasn`t expecting much considering the subject matter. Baseball and economics seemed like a bad combination for me, but since Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman were all starring in this film I had to see it. It`s impossible not to fall in love with the Billy Beane character and the relationship he had with his young assistant Peter Brand. They are really the center of this movie so if you`re doubting wither or not you should see this worrying about the subject matter all I can say is go see it anyways because it is much more than simply another baseball movie. There are some very strong and emotional scenes where I couldn’t help but get goose bumps over a team and a sport I really didn’t care for. That is how good this film is. Moneyball is directed by Bennett Miller, who also directed Capote in which Seymour Hoffman won an Oscar for his lead performance as Truman Capote. Miller has proven he can make some great films. The movie was adapted from the book written by Michael Lewis (Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game) which focuses on the true story of the Oakland A`s General Manager, Billy Beane, who managed to put together the 2002 team on a very low budget by using computer-generated analysis to draft his players based on a formula which was perfected by his young assistant. This would change the game forever. Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network and Charlie Wilson`s War) did a great job at adapting the screenplay for the big screen.
The movie begins with real footage from the last 2001 divisional series game between the Yankees and the A`s. The A`s were winning the series two games to nothing, but the Yankees came back to win the final three games and leave the A`s out of the Championship Divisional game for a second year in a row. The bad news for General Manager, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), is that he`s going to lose his three star players for the next season. The A`s don`t have the kind of budget that other rich teams like the Red Sox or the Yankees have. It`s just impossible to compete against those teams, so it`s time to think outside the box. Billy meets with his talent scouts to see how they can replace these key players without any money, but finds no solution. He decides to hire a young Yale Economic graduate who was working as an advisor for the Cleveland Indians. His name is Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) and he uses statistical data to analyze each player and decide which one has a better value based on their batting average and price. Beane and Brand go against all odds and decide to build their team entirely on these computer statistics. The scouts are outraged by the decision, but Beane believes this is the only way he can compete with the big budget teams. Beane also has some arguments with manager Art Howe (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) over whom he should start, but the main focus of the film relies on the relationship between Beane and Brand. There are also a few scenes dealing with Beane and his relationship with his young daughter Casey (Kerris Dorsey) who lives with her mom Sharon (Robin Wright) in California as well.
Moneyball works as both a sports film and a biographical movie, but it is really much more than that. It works thanks to a very strong performance from both Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill who shine in every scene they are together in. Since Beane doesn`t like to watch the games for fear of jinxing the team we don`t really get to see a lot of baseball. There are several conversations revolving around baseball, but it really isn`t that central to the film. The true heart of the film is Beane who we all want to see succeed and silence the critics. We want his system to work because he is such a charismatic character and he believes in what he is doing. The scene where the streak begins is very inspiring and one of the best moments in sports film in my opinion. I really got a lot of goose bumps during that twentieth game winning streak. I also enjoyed the side story revolving around Billy and his daughter Casey. Kerris Dorsey has little screen time, but she is great opposite Brad Pitt. As for Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Wright they really don`t have much to work with and don`t bring anything to the story really. It`s a shame because Hoffman is a great actor and he could`ve had a better role in this film. In my opinion the ending is perfect as well and the soundtrack was also great. Moneyball was one of the most emotional experiences I`ve had with a movie all year and I really recommend this inspiring film.
¨All men must choose between two paths: Good is the path of honor, friends, and family. Evil, well, it`s just cooler.¨
Megamind is a very fun animated film that doesn´t have to be taken seriously like other recent animated movies. It doesn`t try to look or feel real, it knows what it is: a cartoon. Megamind will be fun for both children and adults alike (unlike recent animated films-like Rango- that try too hard to target adults and forget that kids want to have a fun time as well). This isn’t a movie that has deep meaning to it, or a strong message, or a lot of heart, but it does entertain audiences thanks to the strong voice acting and funny one-liners. The characters are rather simple and one dimensional, but fun to hang around with. Director Tom McGrath has already had success with these animated films as he directed both Madagascar films, and just like those two movies, Megamind should be enjoyed for what it is: an animated picture that is fun for the entire family. I thought that the writers, Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, did a decent job with the script making it really funny at times thanks to some witty one-liners. With Will Ferrell and Tina Fey you really don`t know how much was scripted and how much was really improvised, but the final result is what matters, and the movie was able to entertain all audiences. This isn`t an original or memorable film, but it does manage to entertain and I really had a fun time with the movie.
While Megamind (Will Ferrell) is going through a near death experience he tells us the story of his life from the very beginning. The blue creature with a giant head was born in another planet. This planet was being destroyed when his parents decided to send him to Earth as a baby in order to save his life. Megamind is travelling through the galaxy along with his talking fish named Minion (David Cross), who lives inside some sort of robotic suit. But Megamind is not the only alien headed for Earth. Another baby is headed this way with a normal human appearance; his name is Metro Man (Brad Pitt). Somehow destiny plays a joke on Megamind who ends up being raised by prisoners from a local jail, while Metro Man is raised by a rich family. Both kids grow up and become nemesis: Metro Man turns into the hero of Metro City, while Megamind finds his calling in life as a villain because it is the only thing he seems to be good at (although he doesn`t do a very good job at it because Metro Man is always defeating him and sending him to jail). The people love Metro Man and declare him a local hero, while Megamind unsuccessfully tries to destroy him by being the Super-Villain. Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey) is the local News Reporter who is covering the inauguration of the Metro Man Museum when she is kidnapped for the hundredth time by Megamind. Against everyone`s unbelief, including Megamind`s, he destroys Metro Man and is successful for the first time in his life. But without an enemy, Megamind gets bored and loses his purpose in life so he decides to create another hero using Metro Man`s DNA. This hero happens to be Titan (Hal), who actually turns into a villain himself instead of saving the city, so now Megamind will be forced to become the hero.
The plot has several similarities to many superhero stories, and we might be reminded of other similar animated films such as The Incredibles, but Megamind still works as an entertaining animated film because it has an excellent voice acting cast. This film will have you entertained for 95 minutes and at the end you will leave the movie with a smile in your face. It doesn`t try to be something that it isn`t and that is why it is so fun. You don`t have to remind yourself that you are watching a cartoon like in other movies that try to fool you by making these animated films look real and authentic. You can just sit down and enjoy Megamind for what it is, a fun and simplistic cartoon. Another plus is the soundtrack which just adds to the overall feeling and mood of light fun the film tries to convey. The vocal wit makes up for the lack of originality the movie has. This film should be taken lightly, but it does have a pretty positive message for those who like searching for meaning in movies: it reminds us that heroes are made and not born. We don`t have to let our past and our surroundings shape our lives, we can change the course of our destiny and improve our past actions. It’s not an original or strong meaningful message, but it reminds us that it`s never too late to find our purpose in life in a very light, fun, and entertaining way.
