Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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A Minion a Day Keeps the Hero Away Megamind (Rated PG) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS The star of Megamind (96 minutes) is one part Dr. Evil, one part Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D., one part My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and one part Ron Burgundy. Megamind (Will Ferrell) had a fairly standard childhood. A superintel- ligent baby alien, at eight days old he is sent to Earth with his minion (David Cross) and his binky. As the littlest member of the blue man group blasts off, his parents’ last words are cut off. He hears that he is destined for some- thing (Greatness? Goodness? Destruction? Inferiority?), he just doesn’t hear what. At the same time Megamind is hurtling around his standard-size rocket pod, another infant alien is enjoying a sleek new ride, complete with a bourgeoisie gold trim and an automatic milk dispenser, but lacking a minion. So I know which rocket pod I’d prefer. Despite his cool, Smurf-like exterior Megamind find that his best attempts to win over the locals don’t go over quite as well as the superhumanly charming baby who will one day be known as Metro Man (Brad Pitt). As Megamind grows up amidst the superintelligent prison population, he learns a certain flair for drama and a tendency to develop ludicrously elaborate plots that are nevertheless full of clichés. As the film kicks into gear, Megamind is behind bars. Meanwhile, the citizens of Metro City are preparing to celebrate their adopted hero by open- ing a museum honoring his string of victories over his nemesis. Ace reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey) and her unnaturally elongated torso are covering the story with the assistance of the incredibly geeky Hal (Jonah Hill). One might think that an ace reporter would have more of an entourage, but one would be wrong. One would also assume that an ace reporter would take more umbrage at the barrage of sexual harassment from her assistant as well as the gendered expectations of the world she inhabits, but we all know what hap- pens when you assume. In the grand tradition of gal pals, she is not particularly skilled at avoiding her regularly scheduled kidnapping. Of course Metro Man flies to the rescue, since even in 2010, in a fictional city, women can’t save themselves. The film begins to take twisty turns at this point. Good becomes evil, evil becomes good, and Metro City apparently exists completely outside the control of the National Guard or any other federal authority. Once the dust settles, ennui sets in. Luckily, Megamind comes up with a brilliant idea and immediately begins working with Minion and the Brain Bots (which would make an amazing band name) to shake things up a bit. During his existential crisis he sorta-accidently gets involved with Roxanne without ever considering the number of levels on which that is a terrible idea. Of course, it is a PG movie, so everything ends happily ever after. Overall the movie is acceptable for fans of the genre and a good family flick, even if it is a fairly late entry to the list of postmodern superhero films. The 3D animation seems cooler than ever, and Megamind deserves its thus far impressive box office. And yes, there is an after-credits scene. HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com 24 UCW NOVEMBER 17-23, 2010 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM a million to the Fayetteville Area Hospitality Association and the following businesses and organizations who participated in and donated to our annual Golf Tournament: We love you! says A special thanks to A See you at the Harvest Train 2010 Tuesday, November 23