‘Megamind vs The Doom Syndicate’ Review
Featuring the voices of: Keith Ferguson, Laura Post, Josh Brener, Maya Aoki Tuttle, Emily Tunon, Talon Warburton, Scott Adsit, Chris Sullivan, Tony Hale, Adam Lambert, Jeanine Mason, Michael Beattie | Written by Alan Schoolcraft, Brent Simons | Directed by Eric Fogel
While Dreamworks Animation are known for their big franchises such as Shrek, Kung-Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon, they also have notable standalone works amidst their output. One of their strongest is 2010’s Megamind, a witty take on cyclical comic-book rivalries that was sadly overshadowed by that year’s other supervillain-focused animation, Despicable Me. In the age of superhero movies dominating the conversation, a sequel to the Will Ferrell led animation is ripe for commentary. Somewhere, a finger on a monkey’s paw curled as the world is inflicted with Megamind vs The Doom Syndicate.
Taking place mere days after the original film, Megamind (Keith Ferguson) is adjusting to life as Metro City’s protector. That is complicated by the return of Megamind’s former villain team, The Doom Syndicate, who believe that their original leader is still a villain. As he tries keeping up appearances with these faces from his past, Megamind is secretly working to stop his former teammates from launching Metro City to the Moon.
As the opening moments show Megamind recounting his journey from villain to hero, there is a noticeable difference between the resurfaced clips and the new footage. The change in voice cast leaves the characters to sound like cheap copies that struggle to convey emotion, not helped by the crude-looking animation which pales in comparison to the more crisp style from a 14-year-old film.
The embarrassing visual style is further damned by the depiction of Metro City, a location which should be full of life yet largely feels unpopulated. When characters do appear, they resemble poorly rendered NPCs from an unfinished Playstation 2 game, while feeling as hollow and soulless as the film itself. That is especially reflected in how the villains feel like one-note ideas given sentience, and are easily forgotten while the film is playing. They are a far cry from Tighten, who was a relevant embodiment of toxic masculinity and male entitlement.
Despite the short runtime, the unnecessary need to drag out story beats results in a poorly paced work that feels utterly flimsy. The combination of unfunny gags and an unending sense of boredom is a lethal combination for viewers, resulting in a cheap cash-in whose sequel set-up is as welcome as Boris Johnson’s advice on contraception. Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate is a Temu version of the original film; cheap and poorly crafted.
½ 0.5/5
Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate is out now.
