Fresh Eyes FIRST TAKE: "Megamind"

Could it be? Is Megamind a.... cinematic masterpiece?

Prior to watching this film for the first time, I was expecting it to be something along the lines of Monsters vs. Aliens -- another quirky, DreamWorks animated film that relies a little too much on its quirkiness to the point where I can barely stand to watch. But wow, I could not have been more wrong! And, I feel that discovery of mine ties into one of the main themes of the film, which is: don't judge a book by its cover. 

Megamind is a heartwarming, comedic movie that also has very serious and deep undertones for a children's animated film. 

For example, the main character, Megamind, was put into an escape pod and launched into outer space just days after his birth. For this reason, he does not know love, or friendship, or any of the meaningful things that life has to offer. He crash-lands into a prison where he finds camaraderie in the inmates who are incarcerated there, and, learns how to be "evil" with their help. Right off the bat, I am left feeling sorry for the main character because his parents abandoned him so quickly, and he was left with a very warped sense of belonging. 

Later on in the film, Megamind meets Roxanne, a local news reporter who keeps the community up to date on hero and villain activity in Metro City. Megamind, though he doesn't know it yet, quickly falls in love with Roxanne, and finds himself in a position to want to change his ways. 

This film was absurdly profound to me in the way that it blurs the line between "villain" and "hero". Who is the villain? Who is the hero? What makes a villain, and can he simultaneously be a hero? Can a hero also simultaneously be a villain?

All in all, Megamind creates a protagonist that is too hard not to love. In the end, he finds happiness, which is what we find ourselves rooting for the entire film.