Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Megamind 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Even more mega-mind-blowing in 3D.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 18, 2011

Being a hero is for losers.

Sure they're fun and exciting and packed with great special effects and they dazzle with the strength of the hero and the cunning of the villain, but there's only one problem with Superhero movies: the superheroes always win. When's the last time The Joker finished off Batman, Lex Luthor permanently got the best of Superman, or any hero failed to save the day when the day is done? At least in the mainstream, the answer is hardly ever, if at all. That leaves one burning question: what would happen if, by some miracle of writing and if a studio was bold enough to let it play out in such a way, the bad guy actually won, as in not only won the day but flat-out killed the good guy? What would happen when evil was truly left unchecked, when darkness could finally run rampant and do all those things it always wanted to do with unlimited power and nobody to take a stand? That's the plot of Megamind, a borderline genius new animated Action/Comedy from DreamWorks that looks at the life of a super-villain after he's vanquished his nemesis and finds himself free to terrorize, rule, and just be evil when he wants, where he wants, and as often as he wants.

...but how does the 3D look when viewed sideways?

Two babies, two planets, two destinies, and only one shall win the day. On the day of his world's destruction, a blue-skinned infant is whisked away and launched into space with only his fishlike minion at his side. On his way towards his future home planet, Earth, his ship is met by another pod carrying another ejected-into-deep-space humanoid, this one taking on physical human characteristics. The human-looking baby lands under the Christmas tree of a wealthy, childless couple who raise him to be a good little boy with extraordinary powers, while the ultra-intelligent blue child is raised in a prison where he learns to value wrong over right. It's not long before the two are sent to the same school; the human-looking baby arrives first and wins over his classmates and teacher with acts of great strength and courage. The blue alien, meanwhile, fancies himself the smartest in the class but his supernatural mental abilities are no match for the "good guy's" personality and good acts. The two develop a rivalry that lasts until adulthood; the human-looking superhero has dubbed himself "Metro Man" (Brad Pitt, Legends of the Fall) while the blue alien has chosen to call himself "Megamind" (Will Ferrell, The Other Guys). The two clash and clash and clash some more, but finally, today, Megamind gets the best of Metro Man. He vanquishes the superhero for good, much to the dismay of the residents of Metro City and to the utter shock of himself. With no one stop him, Megamind sets out to dominate the city, until he realizes that, for him, there's no joy in victory. Lamenting the defeat of his adversary, he turns to the reporter he'd always kidnapped at the height of his rivalry with Metro Man -- the beautiful Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey, The Invention of Lying) -- as a potential romantic interest, but he ultimately comes to the conclusion that only another powerful adversary can satiate his desire and restore balance to his life.

It's all about the balance. Like that old Neal McCoy song says about socks and shoes, hammers and nails, rhythm and blues, and all those things that go hand-in-hand, evil just needs good to act as a counterbalance, to make the evil more sinister, the plots more daring, the potential for chaos all the more alarming, the pending disaster all the more frightening. Evil is kind of like an addiction; the latest and greatest dastardly scheme is the drug, the execution is the high, the loss is the craving for more, and the victory is the crash, the realization that there's something missing, a vacancy that the drugs alone can no longer fulfill. Victory over good, for the evil mastermind, is the removal of the secret ingredient that makes being the bad guy so much fun. Megamind posits that without the struggle, the ebb-and-flow, the potential for victory, the risk of loss, and the constant challenge of scheming up the next great thing that's sure to triumph over good, evil will lose its spark, the will to go on, the purpose behind the madness, and perhaps most importantly, the escape for all of the pent-up evil energy. Is winning really the ultimate low? It's a fascinating turn of events, a novel approach to a genre that seemed to be completely out of novelty and banking only on style and smarter stories to win over audiences. A sympathetic villain is nothing new, but Megamind takes it a step further, transforming its villain through the course of the film as he comes to realize that power doesn't need to lead to bad, that brains don't have to only conjure up new ways to destroy. It's a hilarious look at a genre and a character turned upside down and for the better. The movie isn't a seriously dark and grizzly picture such as are the new Batman films, but Megamind's bright backdrops, colorful characters, and easy mood allow for the full exploration of what it means for evil to overcome good, and more importantly, for the audience to buy into it and care about a character built up throughout the movie as the ultimate villain.

While the characters, then, in conjunction with the novelty of the story, make Megamind work, it's the voice actors that really bring the movie to life. Will Ferrell is spectacular as the voice of the title character, injecting the blue-skinned super-villain with just the right combination of brilliance and social ineptitude and smarts and self-doubt. That he can defeat the hero and construct incredible destructive devises proves his brilliance as an all-time great evil mind, but his flubbing of the English language -- mispronouncing words like "school" and calling "Metro City" "Metrocity" (as a play on words for "atrocity," no doubt) -- really helps to round the character into form and not only ingratiate him with audiences, but to sell the character's changes through the second and third acts. Ferrell is also superb when mimicking Marlon Brando in several scenes, playing the part of the film's Jor-El character -- expanded here far beyond anything in Superman -- with a brilliance and hilarity that only Ferrell could offer. Brad Pitt does a fine job with Metro Man, but it seems like a lost opportunity not to have Bruce Campbell providing the voice; after all, Metro is almost a dead ringer for the famous B-movie actor, and why he wasn't a part of this seems a mystery. Last but not least, director Tom McGrath (Madagascar) keeps his film moving along at a wonderful pace; even if things do get bogged down a bit at the start of the third act, the film recovers nicely by the end and wraps up the story expectedly but without sacrificing the charm of the characters or the strength of the idea.

Megamind 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

In the high definition era, it's not unreasonable to expect -- demand, even -- perfection from an all-digital animated film on Blu-ray, particularly if the film is a mega millions monster hit from one of the major studios. Unfortunately, DreamWorks's 2D-only Blu-ray release of Megamind failed to deliver on perfection, instead providing a consistently good-looking image to be sure but one with some baggage in tow. Does the 3D Blu-ray presentation improve upon the problem areas that plagued the standard release, or are they still present? The answer is that, yes, Megamind's 3D presentation appears to have fixed many of the prevalent aliasing/shimmering issues that really brought down the 2D image, but the 3D presentation does exhibit more than its fair share of "ghosting" or "crosstalk," which definitely hinders the overall presentation. Still, Megamind just plain works in 3D; despite that fairly regular stream of double imagery, the 3D effects are strong and the impeccable level of detailing and color only accentuates the presentation. Indeed, viewers will note every little intricacy throughout the film; the Blu-ray captures with amazing clarity the most obvious and most subtle nuances alike, whether the texture of Megamind's head, the fine lines on a brushed metal surface, dings and dents on other items, the rough texture of pavement in one close-up shot of a road, or the sparkly surfaces on Titan's and Metro Man's outfits. Of course, general detail is excellent, too, aided immensely by the wonderful clarity that's present in every scene. Colors are bold and accurate, the picture playing with an entire rainbow's worth of hues throughout, whether Megamind's blue skin, Titan's orange-accented uniform, or any other number of shades that are perfectly implemented. Black levels are superbly deep and always natural, fitting in perfectly with every surrounding element. A touch of banding is visible from time to time and a few minor instances of aliasing remain, but much of that seems cleaned up from the 2D release. Fortunately, the image only gets better when factoring in the 3D content.

Megamind is definitely more enjoyable in 3D. The film is a natural for 3D content and rarely does DreamWorks's transfer fail to take advantage and use 3D to great effect. Some viewers may be disappointed that there's not more in the way of "pop out" 3D effects; while the film dables in such niceties, there simply aren't all that many moments where objects seem to extend out of the screen and poke the audience in the eye. Instead, this one is almost always about volume and depth, both of which are extensively implemented; almost every scene enjoys some level of 3D goodness. One of the most obvious and continuous pluses in the film is the shape of Megamind's head; it's amazing just how shapely it appears in 3D. It really adds to the character and the effect is only heightened when he's set against most any backdrop in the film where general depth is dizzyingly strong. Various street-level shots reveal an incredible amount of depth as roadways extend on towards the back of the screen and buildings take on a tangible shape. The image is consistently dazzling in terms of constructing a very real-feeling third dimension, and that carries over to what may be the transfer's single-finest 3D effect: crowd shots. At several junctures throughout the film large crowds gather, usually outside the Superhero museum. Various shots not only capture the sea of people extending naturally into the recesses of the screen, but it's easy to see the space between them, the shape of each individual body, and the fine details that make up their clothing and faces. It's the latter that's also a tribute to the image's superb clarity, the 1080p resolution, and the intricacies of the animation, but the effect is first and foremost an awe-inspiring example of what Blu-ray 3D can achieve. Even the little bubbles inside Minion's water-filled helmet are shapely, small as they may be, and close-up shots allow viewers to get a sense of where they are within the water. Megamind never fails to offer some scrumptious 3D imagery, beginning with the film's first shot that shows a sunset over a stretching body of water, and lasting all the way through to the grand finale. Despite a few issues, this is highly satisfying 3D presentation that's sure to become a staple in 3D rotations, particularly if and/or when DreamWorks releases it for general sale.

Please note that screenshots have been taken from the dedicated Blu-ray 2D release of 'Megamind' and are not necessarily representative of the 3D quality.

Megamind 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Megamind zooms onto Blu-ray with a reference-quality Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack that appears to be the very same found on the standard 2D-only Blu-ray release. Unlike the video -- either the 2D or 3D presentations -- there are no warts here; it's full steam ahead for lossless audio fun from beginning to end. This is a track that manages to be strong and hefty but not obnoxious. Bass is potent but tight and accurate, with several well-placed rumbles managing to enhance the action without overwhelming it. Music is spacious and clear as a whistle; both instrumental score and the various Rock and Pop tunes heard throughout the movie play with a solid and immensely crisp frontal foundation supported by just the right amount of back channel activity. Speaking of the surrounds, they're engaged throughout the movie. The track incorporates both discrete effects and pinpoint imaging with regularity; whether an off-camera voice coming naturally from the rear or a vehicle zipping across the soundstage, the track is always on top of things with accurate sound placement and using the extra rear channels to fine effect. Rounded out by strong and crisp dialogue, Megamind's lossless soundtrack is a real pleasure in every area.

Please note that while Korean, Chinese, Dutch, Portuguese, and "other" subtitle options are selectable in-film, they do not actually appear on-screen and are not selectable via the main menu screen. This problem is verified on a Playstation 3 running firmware v. 3.60 and a Panasonic DMP-BDT300 running firmware v. 1.61.

Megamind 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, this Samsung promotional Blu-ray 3D release of Megamind contains no extra content, sacrificing the picture-in-picture commentary, various featurettes, and other supplements that were included on the 2D-only release. Hopefully most, if not all, will re-appear if and when this title is released for general sale.

Megamind 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Megamind is an enjoyable little romp through the world of the Superhero movie turned on its head. The bad guy wins and suddenly...there's nothing left for him to do! What a wonderfully unique little idea that's been expertly executed with fine animation, great characters, and superb voice acting. Megamind is one of those truly enjoyable little animated movies that will entertain the young ones but also satisfy adults; it's a complete package of fun, even if it does fumble around a bit and never quite finds a heart, but that's OK. It's superb for what it is and another winner for DreamWorks as the studio inches a bit closer to Pixar quality with each release. DreamWorks's Blu-ray 3D release of Megamind delivers a transfer that's a bit better than the 2D release, and the film is more enjoyable in 3D to boot. The pitch-perfect lossless soundtrack from the 2D release is retained, but the extras have been scrapped. Hopefully, DreamWorks will one day soon release this title free of the bonds of exclusivity and with most (hopefully all) extras intact. If that happens, it'll definitely come highly recommended.