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I liked that Roxanne was never truly scared of Megamind, as she knows that his villainous act is mostly performative. But when Hal kidnaps her, she's genuinely frightened, since he shows little regard for her safety.
You could argue that, another reason why she is scared of Hal is that, he almost killed her when he was trying to impress her and not meant to do harm. If he was already dangerous back then, she might be internally freaking out about how dangerous he is now when he WANTS to harm others
@@alyssajakielek687 Agreed. It's funny on its own, but it's even better considering how it organically ties in to MegaMind's character; in any other film - heck, even a Disney film - you'd expect them to soak it all in, but this is not only a deconstruction of the trope, but also of superhero media in general. Of course he wouldn't be used to that kind of praise, all he's ever known is people being afraid of him, so a crowd approaching him? He WOULD see that as threatening. I can relate considering I'm an introvert and autistic: I'm not used to being around lots of people, especially when all eyes are on me, so were it me in his shoes...yeah...I'd be freaking out, too.
About that joke, it's even funnier when you realize it's actually true, as the kingship/queenship of England was abolished in the 1700s (She was the Queen of Great Britain/The United Kingdom)
Not my claim to fame, but I like the visual storytelling of Roxanne's and Megamind's relationship by the dress she wears. When she's kidnapped at the beginning, her dress is Red, the complete opposite of Megamind's blue skin. When she's dating "Bernard"/getting to know Megamind, she's wearing a purple dress (a mix of blue and red). And at the end of the movie, when she has gotten to know Megamind, her dress is blue.
What I love about this movie is that in any other movie Metro man would be the villain, but in this movie he is as much a victim as Megamind, seeing as he was molded to be the hero since he was a baby and never got the opportunity to choose, so when he finally leaves he goes to do something that he was not automatically good as, finally being able to improve in something that was his
Yeah, he was so clearly forced into this kinda role by society, even has he struggles to care genuinely, even if thats made out in humourous ways like the famous "And I love you random citizen" line.
When Metro Man (who's really Megamind in disguise) chases Titan away and flies to Roxanne, Megamind would originally have revealed the disguise himself to surprise both Roxanne and the audience, but the writers figured that it made it more meaningful for Roxanne to reveal him, in a sort of "beauty and the beast" symbolism, i.e. Roxanne letting Megamind know she likes him for who he is.
@@ccggenius th-cam.com/video/bHIjp2dlgCY/w-d-xo.html It's supposed to be Titan it switches to Tighten because Hal can't spell and everyone even the subtitles just rolls with it.
@@ccggenius Pretty sure Titan is correct, and Hal is just dumb. But honestly Tighten as a super hero name is also funny so maybe it was an intentional bit of both.
@@theschwabmob8363I always felt that was Megamind’s doing seeing as how he pronounces Metro City as Metrocity and school as shool. So it’s not much of a stretch for him to mispell Titan as Tighten.
Fun Fact: In the scene where the public is watching Megamind, Metromen and Roxanne on the big screens, when Megamind says to fire the weapon, you can see for a frame or two Metroman on the Screen of Megamind, exactly at the moment where he's having his midlife crysis in superspeed. Those and many other attentions to details is one of the many reasons why Megamind is one of the Masterpieces by Dreamworks and why so many people hold it in such high regard.
First rule of Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate: You don’t talk about Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate. Second rule of Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate: You DO NOT talk about Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate.
Something critics always seem to miss is that a movie (or a video game) *isn't* an essay or an argument in a debate, the point isn't to just present ideas and then defend them to the audience the primary point is to entertain the audience and that depends on the execution of the idea. Even if you've seen an action scene or a kiss scene or a car chase scene a million times before if it can get you to feel something and draw you in it's still good, excellent even, even if it's not doing anything new.
Exactly. I used to like Nostalgia Critic a lot more, but so many of his reviews miss the mark because he very clearly misses the point of the movie or he complains too much about it not bringing something new and revolutionary to the table.
@@JosetteFret93 This is a problem with critics in general. It's sort of hard to avoid, because obviously, if you watch and analyze hundreds of movies, you're going to see the patterns and tropes and cliches and get jaded about them. Critics tend to over-praise "originality" even when it's kinda dumb and doesn't work, while not giving enough credit to things done well just because they are common. I've seen game critics do the same thing, praise janky games for being different while calling really solid titles "boring" for not reinventing the wheel. But I don't blame them because I'd probably feel the same way if I religiously watched movies or played new games or whatever too.
Yeah, agreed 100%. When he complained the movie was 'acting like' they were doing something new, I just thought, well, what are they supposed to do? They're telling a story, effectively a parody at that, so of course it's going to use tropes you've seen before, besides the fact that like you noted, it's just for entertainment not to change the world. And the alternative is to be meta about it and remind the audience of the other movies that have done the same thing, and that's not a better route.
@@jessedellross3245 them fighting over one-liners about extended warranties before Roxanne interrupts them; “Girls, girls, you’re both pretty. Can I go home now?” 🤣
*pulls out weapon* "Get back, you SAVAGES!" ... you have no idea how many times I''ve felt like that in public, when people are crowding around you, fur whatever reason, and all they have to do is take two or three steps in any direction and everyone would have plenty of space.....
Roxanne: "I've totally discovered his secret hideout" Meagmind: "HOW DID SHE FIND MY HIDEOUT....ugh how did you find his hideout" Roxanne: "this is the only building in the city with a fake observatory on it"
@@darthcinema4262 Quick! Go through that door! But it says "Exit"! That's because...it's.... exciting! [Roxanne goes through the door][Loud disco, allegators, pit of death] Wow that room was pretty exciting!
I always thought the "Titan" collage being formed from all Roxanne's papers was less that she worked something out and more that Hal snuck into her apartment earlier and moved them around to make it form his image, all in preparation for his "reveal" on her balcony. Really adds to the creepy stalker incel image he gives off.
@@mrcritical6751 Well Metroman spent what was comparable to a week in a second to comprehend his life choices. Surely with the same DNA, Titan wouldve been able to do the same
@@mrcritical6751 don't underestimate incels. If they really want something, they can go with extremely complex and devious plans to obtain their objective.
It feels like there has been behind-the-scenes meddling, too, with Illumination, or maybe someone higher-up, not wanting the name of "Minion" to be used for Megamind's Minion, even though there's no way anyone would confuse the characters. And then you see them turn around and use "Mega Minion"... It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. One feels like it's getting stomped on while the other is getting mass promoted on top of it. And I'm sure it's probably for reasons like, "This one is cheaper to animate" and "It's easier to make toys of these creatures."
What I like about Titan is that he’s a dumber version of Syndrome if he actually had powers. He’s still the spoiled child that does whatever he wants, and hurts anyone in his way.
Syndrome es mucho más tonto que Titan Titan era un tipo que la chica que le gustaba y la sociedad no le ponían atención syndrome solo era un niño que su héroe trató de proteger
This film was so underrated. When Megamind tries to explain to Roxanne why he lied, in the background of the scene there is a poster of him saying No you cannot. This film needs to be seen and only that.
When Megamind took on the alias of "Space Dad" and Minion Put on his disguise as Step-mum when Megamind said "You look perfect", he's an egotistical overlord but, cares for his only friend/assistant and isn't very smart.
I always felt Megamind deserved the success and popularity Despicable Me received. Such a shame that we ended up getting the film that shall not be named as a "sequel".......
@@TabathaTMartin I have good news and bad news, the bad news is that director Tom McGrath would work on the Boss Baby films. The good news is that Tina Fey would voice the mother in Ponyo.
11:20 If you watch the earlier video clip between Megamind and the Hero, you can see for a literal millisecond the Hero disappearing from the video to do this exact self-introspection 😂
"Here's my day so far: went to jail, lost the girl of my dreams and got my butt kicked pretty good. Still, things could be a lot worse. Oh, that's right... I'm falling to my death." Best quote from Megamind.
"And this one's for space stepmom! You lied to her!" This is actually a true statement, because Megamind DID lie to minion. Also apparently this was an ad lib by Jonah Hill. The line was actually supposed to be, "And this one's all yours!"
Might have been my favourite joke in the movie. So hysterical that Titan was stupid enough to still believe Minions wig and apron even though his Space Dad just shape-shifted into Megamind.
1:12 Why? It provided many things to different people without alienating the people 1️⃣ He is a clever protagonist 2️⃣ He is dynamically growing in response to stimuli in a fairly believable manner 3️⃣ It validates that both your presumption can be spot on (Tighten), self-fulfilling (Megamind), and completely wrong (Musicman). 4️⃣ It is saying if you don’t make yourself reanalyze the data you can make things way worse. And that is a nuance most movies don’t just avoid, but actively undermine.
Like Illumination's Despicable Me and Minions movies, for example. They always unavoidably undermine many things with each sequel they make after the first Despicable Me film. It just makes no sense.
@@IMMACYCLOPS 😅 I just pulled up the comments tapped it when he asked the question, I should have tailored it better. I think that is better, thanks for the heads up 😊
Wow i actually found the imdb page for him, it doesnt show a picture or really anything other than the few movies he worked on like rise of the guardians and megamind andni love both movies
How did you gloss over the greatest beginning to the final fight of almost any movie, ever? Megamind's entrance into his fight with Tighten was easily the best part.
This is the first kids movie I’ve seen that accurately portrays the nerdy and insecure “nice guy” as the villain. Commendable given the fact that this archetype is usually portrayed as the underdog hero.
Oddly, it shows a more true to form Sam Raimi version of Peter had he never had the change of heart. Something attempted shortly with Amazing Spider Man and that became an almost vigilante styled around the obsession with finding the killer. Tighten just shows the difference between caring about someone and flat out obsessive compulsive tendencies can lead to alternate routes. Something that Jonah Hill has shown in other films like Superbad.
True. In response to Doug's wondering about what people see in this film; for people that have had to deal with the creepy "nice guy" that won't take no for an answer, bringing up the idea of what would happen if this person suddenly got superpowers is an attention grabbing premise.
One of the reasons why so many people connect with it is because it’s a story of nature versus nurture. You don’t have to do what others expect you to. You have the power to change your direction in life.
I always felt like some of the jokes in this movie were perfect. Like When titan rips the door off the car and megamind tries locking it . That joke is absolutely perfect. I can't see it without laughing every time
There’s actually something really interesting that not a lot of people ever notice. When Roxanne confronts Tighten he starts gaslighting her. There’s even been some people who review this movie who think the writers are trying to blame her for him being the villain. But they’re falling for the gaslighting. What are the things that kind of makes Hal such an interesting villain is the fact that it wasn’t until after this movie that people really started talking about gaslighting or nice guys. Lot of things that are talked about today about guys who manipulate girls thinking that just because they act like a nice person they deserve to get the girl. They weren’t really talked about then. So it kind of makes sense that the movie actually becomes more relevant with time because the villain was scarily ahead of his time.
i think that, the nice guy meme, was more in response to people starting to question despicable acts being done TO certain types of guys. "he just wanted sex" was often a typical bit of gaslighting done when someone was called out for using and abusing people. it was after people started calling that out more publicly that the "nice guy" meme started to gain traction. this movie was before that started happening. at the time hal was just a standard obsessive loser creep archtype. the joke being, what if such a person was given superpowers. later people started attaching the "nice guy" meme to it.
5:55 Guillermo del Toro has actually worked on a lot of Dreamworks movies. Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3, Puss in Boots, and Rise of the Guardians just to name a few.
And How to Train Your Dragon 2 and a fun fact: It was HIS suggestion to kill off Stoic. Originally Gobber was the one meant to be killed off, but Guillermo thought having Stoic die instead would have a more impactful character growth for Hiccup and heighten the stakes.
Fun Fact: Instead of voicing his character from within a sound booth, Brad Pitt, who is a very active actor, insisted on using a handheld microphone for his performance and roaming around the studio.
I don't mean be rude, but can you please just put all of your facts into one comment? You do this on every Nostalgia Critic video, and it's frustrating when I'm scrolling through the comments and the majority of them are just you posting a fact that you probably read off of IMDB. Please don't spam the comment section.
@@newguy371 I've seen a bunch that were just copied and pasted directly from IMDB, specifically the Charlotte's web video. I noticed because I had litterally just been reading the trivia section of that movie and they're just word for word copies
The main thing I've seen people talking about over the years is how this movie shows the importance of failure. I was 11 when this movie came out, and i don't really remember a lot of other movies or shows that had such a big emphasis on learning from your failures. True, Lion King had that message about "you can either run from the past, or learn from it." But as Doug himself said in his review of that movie years ago, they kinda undercut that message about ten minutes later. Here, they really show that Megamind had to really get creative in his efforts to beat Metro Man, and that creative thinking is what allowed him to defeat Hal in the end
Megamind is such a very detailed movie, for instance, where metroman was captured. It revealed that he uses superspeed to escape, but you can see early on that he used it.
"Did you ever think I would be with you?" "...no." That's pretty rough. It's not just 'this is all he's ever known', it's that he knew Roxanne would never love him so he HAD to take on a different identity. Most 'liar revealed' plots show the liars having adopted their assumed roles and changed their ways from when they started the deception, but not Megamind, and not for malicious reasons. He just knew from the off that he, as himself, would never be good enough for her. That's why that line hits so hard; he isn't trying to explain, there's no 'but things changed!', she isn't rejecting a 'real him' that only needed to be coaxed out of hiding and if only she could see past this disagreement-- she shot him right though the heart. 'I would never be with you', she says, and Megamind says, 'I know. That's why I lied.'
12:47 there was actually meant to be a funnier version of the climax in early stages. The original idea for the climax was apparently the roles would get a three way reversal where Megamind sucks at the hero thing and ends up just infusing Roxanne with Metroman’s powers to fight Tighten. Meaning the hero became a villain, the damsel in distress became the hero and the villain became the damsel in distress
I'm not dissatisfied with what we got, but that would have been a neat twist at the end. It would also satisfy the problem Doug has with the final fight.
If you look at the novels, the reason they go to Metro Man's hideout is to get MORE DNA to make another hero. No saying who the hero would be, though. However, I think that kind of shows why it got scrapped. It would be a bit repetitive, and also seem like something that Roxanne would tell him is a bad idea. It's also probably better just to have Megamind use his intellect to do something smart to win rather than rely on superpowers yet again. Roxanne does play hero throughout the movie. After all, when Metro Man disappears, who hunts down Megamind and takes him on? And when Megamind gives up and drops Metro Man's cape, who picks it up? Roxanne doesn't give up when they do, and she plays a huge role solving problems and pushing the story forward. I think it's okay that she lost to Tighten. So did Megamind. He still didn't even think he could win at the end - he just tried to disguise himself to scare Tighten away.
Reminds me of Sky High!!! So in the end, my Girl Friend became my Arch Enemy, my Arch Enemy became my Best Friend, and my Best Friend became my Girl Friend; but hey that's high school!!!
Throw It In (according to TV Tropes): *The commentary* reveals that a large portion of the jokes were improv, which isn't that surprising when you get Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill, David Cross, and (to a lesser extent) Brad Pitt together.
One of the reasons I love this movie is that for once its a superhero deconstruction that doesn't just say, "If superheroes existed they would all be losers and a$$holes," as if its the first one to do that. I manages to take things in a different direction while being mostly lighthearted.
@@kdusel1991 Personally, I hope that one day he talks about 2002s "The Scorpion king", another movie I watched for the first time in 2023. He's already done "The Mummy returns" so it only seems fair to talk about the spin-off that really doesn't connect to it in any way.
People love this movie because it was so ahead of its time. It portrayed Nice Guys and incels as the creepy villains they are before the terms became mainstream, it did quipping before the MCU, etc.
I am surprised Doug didn't bring up that if you go to the point in the beginning of the movie where Metro Man would have stopped time, you can literally see him, for a fraction of a second, faze in and out. It's super quick and easy to miss but once you see it you will notice it EVERY time.
Another reason people like this film is from a psycology stand point of how Megamind and Metroman were raised. The film unintentionally or not, makes a good case study for nature vs nuture. And the discussion about how much a person is affected by where they live and who they live with. Cause even if its only on screen for a few seconds, its implied that Metroman's adopted mom was probably the only one who cared for him since the father never actually looks away from the newspaper. And we see how he likes to show off and seems to only care for the oeople of the city due to how they almost worship him. Compared to Megamind who while still becoming a villain seemed to be actually loved by the other inmates as they raised him as if they were all his adopted parents. As pointed out in the video he was raised learning only Evil was the right thing. So there's geniune theories about what would Megamind be like if he landed anywhere but in a prison. And the same for Metroman if he didn't crash into a mansion. It's honestly a really cool way to look at the movie.
It also reflects this with Hal. He didn't grow up with powers. But grew up believing the world owed him and that he should have the girl and all, simply because he wanted her. Then when he gets powers, you see the rotten nature of him bubble up and take over. He had no nuturing of these powers, so when suddenly given them, his rotten and cruel nature takes full control of him and people suffer because of it.
I think a big reason why the liar reveal tropes usually don’t work is because they almost never mean anything. More often than not, it’s just “oh, you did something nice with bad intentions…but you still did the good thing and you’ve already changed.” In this, the liar reveal plays into the ideas of the film and doesn’t just try to manufacture conflict.
13:43 I mean to be fair…Minion’s reveal is basically the subversion the movie is working with. Megamind wants to solve the crisis and save the woman he loves, but being aware of how the city has known him (and for all he knows MAY always view him), wants to give them a figure they can trust as well, hence the Metro Man disguise. Which makes it more poignant when Roxanne coaxes him into letting her drop his disguise. It’s a measure that crystallizes her faith in him and his dedication to being a better person to Metro City’s people.
When it comes to movies about superheroes and super villains, Megamind is one of my favorites! I loved Will Ferrells performance of the films main character!!!
Hal Stewart is literally the definition of an “incel” & has single-handedly made this movie age better than it otherwise would’ve done. I remember watching a video by “Jack’s World” going into detail about incels who could commit school shootings, & Hal eerily fit the bill to a tee. He’s even scarier when you watch this as an adult & in this day & age, because someone like him easily COULD exist in the real world, even without superpowers! He’s a much bigger monster than Megamind himself could ever dream of being. 😮
Comic book nerd that was in his late 20s when this movie came out here. I personally love the part where Roxanne tells him: “The megamind I know would never run away from a fight, even if he had no chance of winning, that was your greatest quality” that hits hard when you’ve been a pariah all your life and somehow you never gave up. That is why most people gravitate towards this movie. Try to find something like that in the DCEU.
I think the whole appeal of the movie is the same as what the fox in Zootopia showed: You're given a rough start and you're only seen a certain way but you can still change for the better. And even if your life is great, like Metroman, you can still change for something both better and fulfilling.
Imagine adding this to every argument scene in a film. It’d be funny to hear Roxanne saying this in Toy Story while Woody and Buzz having their argument at the gas station. Buzz: “Sheriff, this is no time to panic.” Woody: “This is the perfect time to panic! I’m lost and Andy is gone! They’re going to move house in 2 days and it’s all YOUR fault!” Buzz: “MY fault?! If YOU hadn’t pushed me out of the window in the first place…” Woody: “Well, if YOU hadn’t shown up in your little cardboard spaceship and taken away everything that’s important to me…” Roxanne: “Ugh! Girls! Girls! You’re both pretty! Can I go home now?”
Hal is a really compelling villain because he's the dark premise of someone that believes they're owed more in life, and so as soon as they get power, they abuse it to "Take what they're owed", rather than earning it or working towards bettering themselves. It's a temptation that many of us may have felt, "I'm owed this" is a dark path where we trample others believing it should serve us. Hal isn't sympathetic, as he's pretty wicked and embodies and enables a very dark trait and goes from harmless (Lack of power but still holding malice) to harmful (Power to back up said ill will), but he does reflect the temptations and devious thoughts one may have that leads to wronging others. He's very "Real" in that he comes off like someone who would get powers just immediately deciding to serve themselves or thinking "I have powers = I should be loved" because of observing others with power, and we see that often, people who think age, position, or other title demands and commands respect, rather than earning it through effort and dedication and becoming worthy of respect. We've all probably worked with someone with a manager position who has abused it and believed they were owed respect because of their nametag, this just takes it to the extreme.
This is a random insight, but I almost feel like Metro Man saved Megamind from that rich house, if that couple possibly saw this big headed blue baby, they'd probably call the police and get him shipped off to the government sight, the reason he was kept in the prison is because the prisoners saw the potential, he was smart even as an infant, so of course they would teach him how to be evil just so he could break them out, he didn't realize it but he was being used and taught the bad things. As for the Warden, he took in Megamind to teach him right, its why he was sent to school, yeah he was still in prison, but I think the warden also knew what would happen if he had sent a blue kid too public school in the city. In a way Metroman gave Megamind a better chance at life, sure it may not be glamorous, but it was definitely meaningful compared to Metroman's perfect life, it's probably WHY he got so bored, because not only had he been fighting Megamind for years on end, but he also realized he was put in the superhero persona from the start, unlike Megamind who (at least at that point) was fine being a villain, Metroman was sick of having to do the same thing every day, in a way he kind of served as Megaminds eye opener too what he could truly be. And thats it, nothing happened afterwards.... nope, nothing.
13:01 I don't know. I get the idea of also switching the roles of the damsel in distress.... but by that logic, what should be done is having the damsel in distress now as the villain, villain now as the hero, and the hero now as the damsel.... And to some degree the fact that Metroman DOESN'T join the final conflict is what makes the main idea work. He is GENUINELY done with the superhero stuff to the point he just waited at his bunker, thinking everything will sort out itself
THIS. I can understand wanting more from a film, but...this one doesn't need it, and the movie is called "Megamind," so the focus should be on the main character, not everyone else's unnecessary side plots. I feel like this is one of Doug's oddball reviews, because on other films with similar things he complains about too much attention on the side characters/plot.
@@KnightsaysNiyeah, when I was watchining and noticing Doug talk about wanting it to do more/be more subversive, what came to mind is that this movie isn’t JUST trying to be a diversion of the superhero genre, it also IS trying to tell a genuinely good story. So sure, it might have some romcom drama breakup and some “typical” dialogue at the end, but I think it works for the kind of movie megamind is trying to be and actually benefits from it
"Minion: That, sir, is called a window. Megamind: Window? Minion : All the kids are looking through them." Funniest line in the movie, and have since added it to my lexicon, and adapt it to sarcastically respond to a annoyingly stupid question....
The lab scene of the camera man reflection is actually funny in two ways, one is that its basically doing a meta joke of this being a movie, and another is that it foreshadows the camera guy becoming the new superhero in the film!
The film was originally scripted as a live-action, R-rated, adult comedy. Megamind would have been called Master Mind, and Metro Man: Uberman, and Minion replaced three clones of famous historical figures. The studio did nothing with it, so it was brought over to DreamWorks Animation as a children's film instead.
Is it just me or do a lot of family comedies start out as R-rated films before being rewritten to be more accessible to all ages? First Enchanted was almost an R-rated comedy and now Megamind? Is there any other family comedy that had its roots as a draft for an R-rated adult comedy that I should know about?
That would explain why criminals got away with raising Megamind instead of him being taken away to a secret government lab to work for the government, to build weapons.
Fun fact if you pay close attention to the scene before his "death" you can literally see the moment Metro Man flickers away during a part of MegaMind's rant to find himself!
The beginning trope of "how did I get there?" it's also the way he says it. "Ah yes, here i am, about to die. What could have brought this outcome." So ridiculously casual
I don't necessarily view Megamind as a masterpiece like a lot of people do, but I feel like this review massively skipped over a lot of the smaller details people zoom in on when watching the movie, specifically the comedy, the quotable dialogue and the twist of Hal. Many people didn't see him becoming a villain, but we all understand exactly why it happened as just about everyone has met someone in their life who would absolutely exploit power if given it.
People have done deep dives into how Hal is the definition of the "Nice guy." He says he knows everything about Roxanne, but he grabs a cart of flowers not knowing which one is her favorite. He gets mad that she never went to any of his parties, but she's not obligated to go. If you also look at his shirt its all negative messages. His shirt are "Error 404 Request not found." or "Game Over." Along with a frowney face button. Perfect no, but people can write essays on this movie.
This movie was ahead of its time. It's one of those films that you enjoy as a kid, but when you rewatch it as an adult, you see things from a different perspective and can relate to characters like Tighten the Incel or Markiplier or Megamind.
I think the movie's theme of absolute power corrupts absolutely and that superman can be evil was fairly new and connected with the audience so much. This is the movie that started the trend of evil superman which was quite revolutionary at that time. I think that's why this movie is so memorable.
"They act like this has never been done in a comedy before." Well, what are they supposed to do? Be meta and hang a million lampshades on it? Or just embrace their tropes as they apply to their story? It didn't feel super preachy or smug about their message. They just presented it - what's the problem?
Another Fun Fact: Megamind starts his first years on Earth in the Metro City Prison for the criminally gifted, a play on Professor Xavier's school for the gifted from X-Men.
Something I really like about the Black Mamba scene, Megamind's facial expressions. Normally with characters diving deeper into the dark side, they feel angry or betrayed or furious. But you can tell by looking at him, Megamind mainly just feels sad for losing Roxanne and Minion and pretty much getting confirmation in his own mind that he'll never be the good guy he thought he could be. Even that glare at the end speaks more of determination than any sort of malice. A pretty good way to show just how good he really is at heart, especially since most heroic characters would probably be a bit angrier in his shoes.
I remember there being some decent jokes in the the final battle. Megamind posing as Metroman was pretty good, Megamind's frustration with the charging time on his extractor, the locking of the car door.
Ironically, Dreamworks treated Megamind movie the same way he was treated when he was young in school Megamind script quote: Some days it felt like it was just me and Minion against the world. No matter how hard I tried I was always the odd man out. The last one picked. A screw up! Black sheep! 😢
Another Fun Fact: After Megamind has taken over the town, his large "No you can't" posters are a reference to President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign posters featuring the slogan "Yes we can".
Me and my friends laughed pretty hard at the "I made you a hero. You did the 'fool thing' all by yourself" response. It perfectly demonstrates Hal's toxic trait of always blaming others when something doesn't go his way and Megamind throws it in his face.
You mentioned it a little bit, but I feel one of the main selling points of this movie is how it plays with the idea of its characters being put in “roles” that they don’t really fit into. Take Megamind and Metroman’s dynamic. They were placed in their roles as kids based on how others perceived them and they both ended up leaning into it as they grew up. Their “hero vs villain” battles were basically performative, just them acting out what was expected of them, with the villain kidnapping the girl and the hero coming to save her. You can see this in how Roxanne didn’t really take it seriously or see Megamind as a genuine threat until Metro-man seemingly died. She knew this was just a routine for them, so she didn’t need to worry about it. Metroman realized what was going on and after thinking about his life, decided the hero role didn’t really fit who he was or what he wanted so he left it. And not having a hero trying to stop him anymore made Megamind realize that he wasn’t happy in the villain role either. Then there’s Hal, who was put into the role of the underdog who just needs the chance to prove himself. But once he actually gets power, he immediately starts abusing it when being a good person doesn’t benefit him and becomes an even worse villain than Megamind ever was. And while I admit, they probably could’ve done more with her, Roxanne was more than just the damsel in distress. Like I said before, she saw through Megamind and Metroman’s whole dynamic, and she also played an active role in the story with Megamind needing her help at different times. Plus, there was that line about how everyone thought that she and Metroman were a couple, but they never were, which goes against the cliche
Actually why didn't they allow Roxanne to Break Free from her Roll as Damsel in Distress? I'm actually kinda Surprised, you don't have a bunch of Feminists saying they Hate the Film because of that!
I still think my favorite thing about rewatching this movie is that when Megamind and Metroman are trading quips before the giant death laser goes off, there's a single frame where you can see Metroman standing behind Megamind from his super-speed soul-searching.
Thank you very much for giving this movie some more appreciation. I don’t truly agree with a lot of your thoughts on the animation style especially considering how I have always felt that Roxanne was totally gorgeous and I remember having a little bit of a screen crush on her when I first saw the movie but I really liked how you talked about a few of the story twists, and how you did make an effort to see some of the things that make this movie stand out from traditional superhero movies. This movie is a gem to me and certainly something I will always remember fondly. I feel like it’s so cool to see how MegaMind actually gets to conquer the city and then he finds himself feeling lonely and sad and realizes that he wants more than that and he wants a different life even. I also even think that despite the fact it’s kinda obvious how Hal is a jerk and clearly meant to be the villain of the movie, and he clearly has no chemistry at all with Roxanne, he at first tries to make himself seem more endearing to her and he keeps trying to make a better impression on her because he’s already fallen for her and again I was really into her myself when I first saw the movie. I certainly would never try to get a girlfriend the way Hal does, but it does add a certain layer of charm to the story. Overall I definitely love this movie and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to see a superhero movie that’s a little bit different than what you expect. It’s very much so a feel good movie! It’s a movie that I will always love to share about as well!
What are your thoughts on Megamind? Good? Bad? Never seen it?
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PRETTY PLEASE, IT IS THE DAY 325 WAITING FOR THE ,,G-force " MOVIE REVIEW BY THE ,,Nostalgia Critic" HIMSELF! PLEASE SEE THIS Doug!
LOVE IT!!!!
Your Comment gives us a question and yet you somehow never want to see our answer comments! (Are we so uninteresting to you?).
I haven't got around to watch "Megamind" so I supposed it's worth a watch
I liked that Roxanne was never truly scared of Megamind, as she knows that his villainous act is mostly performative. But when Hal kidnaps her, she's genuinely frightened, since he shows little regard for her safety.
Soooo true.
👍💯. Well said.
You could argue that, another reason why she is scared of Hal is that, he almost killed her when he was trying to impress her and not meant to do harm. If he was already dangerous back then, she might be internally freaking out about how dangerous he is now when he WANTS to harm others
@@ianr.navahuber2195 Pretty much, especially when he has powers.
Exactly.
Which is something that Illumination's Despicable Me didn't do nor show in the first movie nor the sequels.
“He would win some. I would almost win others” is such a fantastic line.
@@frostedicepharoah7723 "You were right! I was... Less right."
“I LOVE MEDGAMIND”
ME TOO RANDOM CITIZEN!
Who is "Medgamind"?
@@DavidRay_40 Megamind's big brother
Megamind is awesome!
@@ajiteshchandra Medgamind is awesomer
@@Archibaldh1pp0Medgamind is megamind's final form. Like frieza's final form on DBZ or super perfect cell 😂😂
"Ah! GET BACK YOU SAVAGES!"
"Sorry! sorry, he's just not used to a positive feedback"
I absolutely LOVE that part.
one of the funniest lines.
I feel like one of the most relatable ones too
I remember choking on the last of my drink when I first saw that.
@@alyssajakielek687 Agreed. It's funny on its own, but it's even better considering how it organically ties in to MegaMind's character; in any other film - heck, even a Disney film - you'd expect them to soak it all in, but this is not only a deconstruction of the trope, but also of superhero media in general. Of course he wouldn't be used to that kind of praise, all he's ever known is people being afraid of him, so a crowd approaching him? He WOULD see that as threatening. I can relate considering I'm an introvert and autistic: I'm not used to being around lots of people, especially when all eyes are on me, so were it me in his shoes...yeah...I'd be freaking out, too.
@@bluestreaker9242 Sir, this is a Wendy's...
"There is no Easter Bunny, there is no Tooth Fairy, and there is no Queen of England."
"she died"
@@Tadicuslegion78 when the wrote that line they had to know it would be true eventually.
True or not it fit the character perfectly.
About that joke, it's even funnier when you realize it's actually true, as the kingship/queenship of England was abolished in the 1700s (She was the Queen of Great Britain/The United Kingdom)
"There is no spoon"
I can hardly believe Critic just skipped over Megaminds "Villain Entrance" in the third act. That's a big moment.
Oh, you're a villain, alright. But there is nothing Super about you.
What's the difference?!?
PRESENTATION!
Also didn't mention anything about the soundtrack. Or the comparison between metroman and Elvis.
Best line/scene in the whole movie!
@SaucerheadTharp You butchered the quote lmao
I guess that makes Critic a villain.
Just not a SUPER one!
Not my claim to fame, but I like the visual storytelling of Roxanne's and Megamind's relationship by the dress she wears. When she's kidnapped at the beginning, her dress is Red, the complete opposite of Megamind's blue skin. When she's dating "Bernard"/getting to know Megamind, she's wearing a purple dress (a mix of blue and red). And at the end of the movie, when she has gotten to know Megamind, her dress is blue.
DUUUUDE! If that's true that's amazing
I never noticed that!
What I love about this movie is that in any other movie Metro man would be the villain, but in this movie he is as much a victim as Megamind, seeing as he was molded to be the hero since he was a baby and never got the opportunity to choose, so when he finally leaves he goes to do something that he was not automatically good as, finally being able to improve in something that was his
Yeah, he was so clearly forced into this kinda role by society, even has he struggles to care genuinely, even if thats made out in humourous ways like the famous "And I love you random citizen" line.
I love that its a heroic origin story but with a villainous beginning
Soooo true. It’s brilliantly done
@@chasehedges6775 like how Eren is the origin of a villain with a heroic beginning
That's some genius writing right there.
And I love it.
@@chasehedges6775it's so good!!
ohh never thought about it like that haha!
Minion tearfully going "I'll just PACK MY THING and GO!" and he puts a single can of fish food into a suitcase.
When Metro Man (who's really Megamind in disguise) chases Titan away and flies to Roxanne, Megamind would originally have revealed the disguise himself to surprise both Roxanne and the audience, but the writers figured that it made it more meaningful for Roxanne to reveal him, in a sort of "beauty and the beast" symbolism, i.e. Roxanne letting Megamind know she likes him for who he is.
It's "Tighten", not "Titan". IIRC in canon the latter was already trademarked or something.
@@ccggenius th-cam.com/video/bHIjp2dlgCY/w-d-xo.html It's supposed to be Titan it switches to Tighten because Hal can't spell and everyone even the subtitles just rolls with it.
@@ccggenius Pretty sure Titan is correct, and Hal is just dumb. But honestly Tighten as a super hero name is also funny so maybe it was an intentional bit of both.
@@ccggenius titan was megaminds intention for hal (becoming the hero) but hal mistook it for tighten and he adopts that for his villain persona
@@theschwabmob8363I always felt that was Megamind’s doing seeing as how he pronounces Metro City as Metrocity and school as shool. So it’s not much of a stretch for him to mispell Titan as Tighten.
Fun Fact: In the scene where the public is watching Megamind, Metromen and Roxanne on the big screens, when Megamind says to fire the weapon, you can see for a frame or two Metroman on the Screen of Megamind, exactly at the moment where he's having his midlife crysis in superspeed.
Those and many other attentions to details is one of the many reasons why Megamind is one of the Masterpieces by Dreamworks and why so many people hold it in such high regard.
There was also a frame or two of Metroman missing on his own screen as well.
“There is no Easter bunny, there is no tooth fairy, and there is no “Megamind VS the Doom Syndicate””
There is no sequel in Ba Sing Se.
First rule of Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate: You don’t talk about Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate.
Second rule of Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate: You DO NOT talk about Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate.
@@k-boi420 Sounds like the rules for the Star Wars Holiday Special.
@@flynnryan Same rules for any movie/tv show/game/whatever that is so horrible that nobody should ever mention it.
There is no Megamind sequel in ba sing Se
Something critics always seem to miss is that a movie (or a video game) *isn't* an essay or an argument in a debate, the point isn't to just present ideas and then defend them to the audience the primary point is to entertain the audience and that depends on the execution of the idea. Even if you've seen an action scene or a kiss scene or a car chase scene a million times before if it can get you to feel something and draw you in it's still good, excellent even, even if it's not doing anything new.
Exactly. I used to like Nostalgia Critic a lot more, but so many of his reviews miss the mark because he very clearly misses the point of the movie or he complains too much about it not bringing something new and revolutionary to the table.
@@JosetteFret93 This is a problem with critics in general. It's sort of hard to avoid, because obviously, if you watch and analyze hundreds of movies, you're going to see the patterns and tropes and cliches and get jaded about them. Critics tend to over-praise "originality" even when it's kinda dumb and doesn't work, while not giving enough credit to things done well just because they are common. I've seen game critics do the same thing, praise janky games for being different while calling really solid titles "boring" for not reinventing the wheel. But I don't blame them because I'd probably feel the same way if I religiously watched movies or played new games or whatever too.
Please watch schafrillas productions review on this film. It’s so much better and actually recognizes what makes this such a great flick
Yeah, agreed 100%. When he complained the movie was 'acting like' they were doing something new, I just thought, well, what are they supposed to do? They're telling a story, effectively a parody at that, so of course it's going to use tropes you've seen before, besides the fact that like you noted, it's just for entertainment not to change the world. And the alternative is to be meta about it and remind the audience of the other movies that have done the same thing, and that's not a better route.
Exactly
“Oh your a villain alright, just not a super one”
“Yeah? What’s the difference?”
“PRESENTATION!!!!!!!!!”
My favorite line in the entire movie.
@@Ryu_D “Along with “The Sun is warming up?”
@@jessedellross3245 them fighting over one-liners about extended warranties before Roxanne interrupts them; “Girls, girls, you’re both pretty. Can I go home now?” 🤣
*you're
*pulls out weapon* "Get back, you SAVAGES!" ... you have no idea how many times I''ve felt like that in public, when people are crowding around you, fur whatever reason, and all they have to do is take two or three steps in any direction and everyone would have plenty of space.....
Roxanne: "I've totally discovered his secret hideout"
Meagmind: "HOW DID SHE FIND MY HIDEOUT....ugh how did you find his hideout"
Roxanne: "this is the only building in the city with a fake observatory on it"
Megamind: Ok. There's no way she'll find the secret entrance.
@@darthcinema4262 Quick! Go through that door!
But it says "Exit"!
That's because...it's.... exciting!
[Roxanne goes through the door][Loud disco, allegators, pit of death]
Wow that room was pretty exciting!
@darthcinema4262 Roxanne: "Huh, there's a doormat here that says 'Secret Entrance'
@@jasoncaetano9708
Megamind: Minion?!
Minion: (squeamishly) I kept forgetting where it was.
😆
@@elizabethfeuerbach5006 Megamind: "SHE'LL DISCOVER ALL OUR SECRETS! You dim-witt creation of science!"
“ oh you’re a villain all right. Just not a super one.”
“ oh yeah, what the difference”
Music gets louder
“ presentation!”
"WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE!!!"
Lines you can hear.
The best scene in my opinion
@@kalkhalinzhui1753WE GOT FUN AND GAMES
🤘😝
I always thought the "Titan" collage being formed from all Roxanne's papers was less that she worked something out and more that Hal snuck into her apartment earlier and moved them around to make it form his image, all in preparation for his "reveal" on her balcony. Really adds to the creepy stalker incel image he gives off.
Do you really think Hal has the skill for that though?
@@mrcritical6751 Well Metroman spent what was comparable to a week in a second to comprehend his life choices. Surely with the same DNA, Titan wouldve been able to do the same
@@drdewott9154 yeah but I doubt he has the mental capacity or patience to figure out something that elaborate
@@mrcritical6751 don't underestimate incels. If they really want something, they can go with extremely complex and devious plans to obtain their objective.
There is an alternate timeline where Megamind is the blockbuster franchise with multiple sequels and Minion spin-offs of a different sort.
And they’re good.
That's just Despicable Me.
@@deshawnedwards6412Screw those films and their annoying yellow trinkie version of Rabbits.
God, I hate those yellow annoying turds.
It feels like there has been behind-the-scenes meddling, too, with Illumination, or maybe someone higher-up, not wanting the name of "Minion" to be used for Megamind's Minion, even though there's no way anyone would confuse the characters.
And then you see them turn around and use "Mega Minion"... It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. One feels like it's getting stomped on while the other is getting mass promoted on top of it. And I'm sure it's probably for reasons like, "This one is cheaper to animate" and "It's easier to make toys of these creatures."
If they did it well and the films are good instead of cash grabs...
*LET ME IN! LET ME IN!*
I'm guessing Harambe wasn't shot in this timeline too.
"There's ice in this glass." "Yes. That's what happens when water gets cold."
What I like about Titan is that he’s a dumber version of Syndrome if he actually had powers. He’s still the spoiled child that does whatever he wants, and hurts anyone in his way.
Syndrome es mucho más tonto que Titan Titan era un tipo que la chica que le gustaba y la sociedad no le ponían atención syndrome solo era un niño que su héroe trató de proteger
Doug: "I'm going to review a movie with Ben Stiller". Picks the movie with the least amount of Ben Stiller. Well played sir, well played!
Yeah, I didn't even know Stiller was in this.
This film was so underrated. When Megamind tries to explain to Roxanne why he lied, in the background of the scene there is a poster of him saying No you cannot. This film needs to be seen and only that.
When Megamind took on the alias of "Space Dad" and Minion Put on his disguise as Step-mum when Megamind said "You look perfect", he's an egotistical overlord but, cares for his only friend/assistant and isn't very smart.
“I can explain!”
*”No you can’t.”*
@@anthonyalfaro9420 it’s a parody of Obama’s “YES YOU CAN” posters.
I always felt Megamind deserved the success and popularity Despicable Me received. Such a shame that we ended up getting the film that shall not be named as a "sequel".......
@@TabathaTMartin I have good news and bad news, the bad news is that director Tom McGrath would work on the Boss Baby films.
The good news is that Tina Fey would voice the mother in Ponyo.
11:20 If you watch the earlier video clip between Megamind and the Hero, you can see for a literal millisecond the Hero disappearing from the video to do this exact self-introspection 😂
@@1tastiger1 metroman
"Here's my day so far: went to jail, lost the girl of my dreams and got my butt kicked pretty good. Still, things could be a lot worse. Oh, that's right... I'm falling to my death."
Best quote from Megamind.
"And this one's for space stepmom! You lied to her!"
This is actually a true statement, because Megamind DID lie to minion.
Also apparently this was an ad lib by Jonah Hill. The line was actually supposed to be, "And this one's all yours!"
Might have been my favourite joke in the movie. So hysterical that Titan was stupid enough to still believe Minions wig and apron even though his Space Dad just shape-shifted into Megamind.
1:12 Why? It provided many things to different people without alienating the people
1️⃣ He is a clever protagonist
2️⃣ He is dynamically growing in response to stimuli in a fairly believable manner
3️⃣ It validates that both your presumption can be spot on (Tighten), self-fulfilling (Megamind), and completely wrong (Musicman).
4️⃣ It is saying if you don’t make yourself reanalyze the data you can make things way worse. And that is a nuance most movies don’t just avoid, but actively undermine.
Like Illumination's Despicable Me and Minions movies, for example.
They always unavoidably undermine many things with each sequel they make after the first Despicable Me film.
It just makes no sense.
I think you meant to put a different timestamp in your comment?
@@IMMACYCLOPS True but I think this all applies pretty well for the movie as a whole.
@@IMMACYCLOPS 😅 I just pulled up the comments tapped it when he asked the question, I should have tailored it better. I think that is better, thanks for the heads up 😊
@@jeuryrabassa4724
Come again?
All this time and I never realized will Ferrell is the voice of megamind. One of those times a celebrity voice just melds into a character
Fun fact my uncle worked on this. It was his first big film. His name is Dorien Gunnels and he’s a senior lighting technical director
Awesome! His work did not go in vain.
That is so cool
@@b-reel5298 nice, it’s damn good lighting.
Wow i actually found the imdb page for him, it doesnt show a picture or really anything other than the few movies he worked on like rise of the guardians and megamind andni love both movies
@@jacehackworth6413that's so cool!!!
How did you gloss over the greatest beginning to the final fight of almost any movie, ever?
Megamind's entrance into his fight with Tighten was easily the best part.
@@thecashman88 He glossed over way too much in this one, it's a gloriously detailed movie and he blasts through it in under 20 minutes
This is the first kids movie I’ve seen that accurately portrays the nerdy and insecure “nice guy” as the villain. Commendable given the fact that this archetype is usually portrayed as the underdog hero.
Oddly, it shows a more true to form Sam Raimi version of Peter had he never had the change of heart. Something attempted shortly with Amazing Spider Man and that became an almost vigilante styled around the obsession with finding the killer.
Tighten just shows the difference between caring about someone and flat out obsessive compulsive tendencies can lead to alternate routes. Something that Jonah Hill has shown in other films like Superbad.
True. In response to Doug's wondering about what people see in this film; for people that have had to deal with the creepy "nice guy" that won't take no for an answer, bringing up the idea of what would happen if this person suddenly got superpowers is an attention grabbing premise.
@@snowangelnc you'll get people like homelander lol
Amazing Spider-Man 2 tried to do this. It didn't work.
Honestly, I'd say he's more the #NiceGuy.
One of the reasons why so many people connect with it is because it’s a story of nature versus nurture. You don’t have to do what others expect you to. You have the power to change your direction in life.
Megamind doesn’t have a Fourhead, he has a Fourteenhead.
He’s from the Code Lyoko Universe
I always felt like some of the jokes in this movie were perfect. Like When titan rips the door off the car and megamind tries locking it . That joke is absolutely perfect. I can't see it without laughing every time
*There is no Easter Bunny, there is no Tooth Fairy, and there is no Megamind Sequel.*
💯💯💯
And there is no war in Ba Sing Se.
There is no feature length Megamind sequel I believe you mean
But there is
Megamind and The red button of doom
There’s actually something really interesting that not a lot of people ever notice. When Roxanne confronts Tighten he starts gaslighting her.
There’s even been some people who review this movie who think the writers are trying to blame her for him being the villain.
But they’re falling for the gaslighting.
What are the things that kind of makes Hal such an interesting villain is the fact that it wasn’t until after this movie that people really started talking about gaslighting or nice guys.
Lot of things that are talked about today about guys who manipulate girls thinking that just because they act like a nice person they deserve to get the girl. They weren’t really talked about then.
So it kind of makes sense that the movie actually becomes more relevant with time because the villain was scarily ahead of his time.
i think that, the nice guy meme, was more in response to people starting to question despicable acts being done TO certain types of guys. "he just wanted sex" was often a typical bit of gaslighting done when someone was called out for using and abusing people. it was after people started calling that out more publicly that the "nice guy" meme started to gain traction.
this movie was before that started happening. at the time hal was just a standard obsessive loser creep archtype. the joke being, what if such a person was given superpowers. later people started attaching the "nice guy" meme to it.
@@RaptorNX01 So, like Spider Man?
@@darkdragon7210
What about Spidey?
@@dylansharp8471 I mean Hal being like a Darker version of Spider Man/ Peter Parker, kinda like in Spider Man 3 when he went through his Emo Phase.
5:55 Guillermo del Toro has actually worked on a lot of Dreamworks movies. Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3, Puss in Boots, and Rise of the Guardians just to name a few.
And also help with book of life which was not dreamworks
And produced and even wrote on his own trilogy of Dreamworks cartoons for Netflix with the Tales Of Arcadia trilogy
And How to Train Your Dragon 2 and a fun fact: It was HIS suggestion to kill off Stoic. Originally Gobber was the one meant to be killed off, but Guillermo thought having Stoic die instead would have a more impactful character growth for Hiccup and heighten the stakes.
He also made the Trollhunters show
14:41 That aged so well!!!!
Funny thing is I can't tell if it has or not.
@@Mike-vz6xg real
Fun Fact: Instead of voicing his character from within a sound booth, Brad Pitt, who is a very active actor, insisted on using a handheld microphone for his performance and roaming around the studio.
That would definitely be me if I was a voice actor. I can’t stand still for anything
Honestly that’s so in character for him
I have so much respect for this
I don't mean be rude, but can you please just put all of your facts into one comment? You do this on every Nostalgia Critic video, and it's frustrating when I'm scrolling through the comments and the majority of them are just you posting a fact that you probably read off of IMDB. Please don't spam the comment section.
@@newguy371 I've seen a bunch that were just copied and pasted directly from IMDB, specifically the Charlotte's web video. I noticed because I had litterally just been reading the trivia section of that movie and they're just word for word copies
The main thing I've seen people talking about over the years is how this movie shows the importance of failure. I was 11 when this movie came out, and i don't really remember a lot of other movies or shows that had such a big emphasis on learning from your failures.
True, Lion King had that message about "you can either run from the past, or learn from it." But as Doug himself said in his review of that movie years ago, they kinda undercut that message about ten minutes later. Here, they really show that Megamind had to really get creative in his efforts to beat Metro Man, and that creative thinking is what allowed him to defeat Hal in the end
Megamind is such a very detailed movie, for instance, where metroman was captured. It revealed that he uses superspeed to escape, but you can see early on that he used it.
"Did you ever think I would be with you?"
"...no."
That's pretty rough. It's not just 'this is all he's ever known', it's that he knew Roxanne would never love him so he HAD to take on a different identity. Most 'liar revealed' plots show the liars having adopted their assumed roles and changed their ways from when they started the deception, but not Megamind, and not for malicious reasons. He just knew from the off that he, as himself, would never be good enough for her. That's why that line hits so hard; he isn't trying to explain, there's no 'but things changed!', she isn't rejecting a 'real him' that only needed to be coaxed out of hiding and if only she could see past this disagreement-- she shot him right though the heart. 'I would never be with you', she says, and Megamind says, 'I know. That's why I lied.'
12:47 there was actually meant to be a funnier version of the climax in early stages. The original idea for the climax was apparently the roles would get a three way reversal where Megamind sucks at the hero thing and ends up just infusing Roxanne with Metroman’s powers to fight Tighten. Meaning the hero became a villain, the damsel in distress became the hero and the villain became the damsel in distress
That would be funny
I'm not dissatisfied with what we got, but that would have been a neat twist at the end. It would also satisfy the problem Doug has with the final fight.
If you look at the novels, the reason they go to Metro Man's hideout is to get MORE DNA to make another hero. No saying who the hero would be, though.
However, I think that kind of shows why it got scrapped. It would be a bit repetitive, and also seem like something that Roxanne would tell him is a bad idea. It's also probably better just to have Megamind use his intellect to do something smart to win rather than rely on superpowers yet again.
Roxanne does play hero throughout the movie. After all, when Metro Man disappears, who hunts down Megamind and takes him on? And when Megamind gives up and drops Metro Man's cape, who picks it up? Roxanne doesn't give up when they do, and she plays a huge role solving problems and pushing the story forward. I think it's okay that she lost to Tighten. So did Megamind. He still didn't even think he could win at the end - he just tried to disguise himself to scare Tighten away.
Reminds me of Sky High!!! So in the end, my Girl Friend became my Arch Enemy, my Arch Enemy became my Best Friend, and my Best Friend became my Girl Friend; but hey that's high school!!!
Knowing that now, I want to see the original storyboarding of that climax.
"I'll just take my thing & go!" is a phrase we say frequently in my family. That & we use "spee-ider". Love this movie, always!
Saaame!!
Throw It In (according to TV Tropes): *The commentary* reveals that a large portion of the jokes were improv, which isn't that surprising when you get Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill, David Cross, and (to a lesser extent) Brad Pitt together.
One of the reasons I love this movie is that for once its a superhero deconstruction that doesn't just say, "If superheroes existed they would all be losers and a$$holes," as if its the first one to do that. I manages to take things in a different direction while being mostly lighthearted.
Tropic Thunder anytime soon?
I watched that movie for the first time last year.
@@legoking6165 I hope he does that one soon! Tropic Thunder is awesome!!!
@@kdusel1991
Personally, I hope that one day he talks about 2002s "The Scorpion king", another movie I watched for the first time in 2023. He's already done "The Mummy returns" so it only seems fair to talk about the spin-off that really doesn't connect to it in any way.
@@Sh0tgunJust1ce oh hell yeah!!!! That film's epic
People love this movie because it was so ahead of its time. It portrayed Nice Guys and incels as the creepy villains they are before the terms became mainstream, it did quipping before the MCU, etc.
"Oh, how I wish there was a Megamind sequel!"
*one finger on the monkey's paw curls down*
I am surprised Doug didn't bring up that if you go to the point in the beginning of the movie where Metro Man would have stopped time, you can literally see him, for a fraction of a second, faze in and out. It's super quick and easy to miss but once you see it you will notice it EVERY time.
Another reason people like this film is from a psycology stand point of how Megamind and Metroman were raised. The film unintentionally or not, makes a good case study for nature vs nuture. And the discussion about how much a person is affected by where they live and who they live with. Cause even if its only on screen for a few seconds, its implied that Metroman's adopted mom was probably the only one who cared for him since the father never actually looks away from the newspaper. And we see how he likes to show off and seems to only care for the oeople of the city due to how they almost worship him.
Compared to Megamind who while still becoming a villain seemed to be actually loved by the other inmates as they raised him as if they were all his adopted parents. As pointed out in the video he was raised learning only Evil was the right thing. So there's geniune theories about what would Megamind be like if he landed anywhere but in a prison. And the same for Metroman if he didn't crash into a mansion. It's honestly a really cool way to look at the movie.
It also reflects this with Hal.
He didn't grow up with powers. But grew up believing the world owed him and that he should have the girl and all, simply because he wanted her.
Then when he gets powers, you see the rotten nature of him bubble up and take over. He had no nuturing of these powers, so when suddenly given them, his rotten and cruel nature takes full control of him and people suffer because of it.
I think a big reason why the liar reveal tropes usually don’t work is because they almost never mean anything. More often than not, it’s just “oh, you did something nice with bad intentions…but you still did the good thing and you’ve already changed.” In this, the liar reveal plays into the ideas of the film and doesn’t just try to manufacture conflict.
“The Batman and Robin of Dreamworks sequels.”
No movie should ever have that label.
What would be a more appropriate label for Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate?
@@hunterolaughlin Avatar 2.
@@hunterolaughlin Foodfight 2
... What if Dreamworks makes a sequel to Batman and Robin?...
A MEGAMIND CREDIT CARD!?
13:43
I mean to be fair…Minion’s reveal is basically the subversion the movie is working with. Megamind wants to solve the crisis and save the woman he loves, but being aware of how the city has known him (and for all he knows MAY always view him), wants to give them a figure they can trust as well, hence the Metro Man disguise. Which makes it more poignant when Roxanne coaxes him into letting her drop his disguise. It’s a measure that crystallizes her faith in him and his dedication to being a better person to Metro City’s people.
That *is* a fair point.
When it comes to movies about superheroes and super villains, Megamind is one of my favorites! I loved Will Ferrells performance of the films main character!!!
One of Dreamworks Best and one of Will Farrell’s best performances, IMO
I agree.
Hal Stewart is literally the definition of an “incel” & has single-handedly made this movie age better than it otherwise would’ve done. I remember watching a video by “Jack’s World” going into detail about incels who could commit school shootings, & Hal eerily fit the bill to a tee. He’s even scarier when you watch this as an adult & in this day & age, because someone like him easily COULD exist in the real world, even without superpowers! He’s a much bigger monster than Megamind himself could ever dream of being. 😮
Not sure if it was intentional or not but if you take his name apart it's two of the most popular green lanterns . Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
@@papabearlives9995 I know that.
I just realised his name is a combination of two Green Lanterns
God damnit, you had been so gaslighted about what kind of people incels are
@@JediMIndaugas I have a rough idea, & I don’t like them.
Imagine a Nostalgia Critic of a Dreamworks movie, and then multiply it…….BY SIX!
😂😂😂😂
Comic book nerd that was in his late 20s when this movie came out here. I personally love the part where Roxanne tells him: “The megamind I know would never run away from a fight, even if he had no chance of winning, that was your greatest quality” that hits hard when you’ve been a pariah all your life and somehow you never gave up.
That is why most people gravitate towards this movie.
Try to find something like that in the DCEU.
"The sun is warming up?!?!??" - Megamind
😂😂😂😂😂
My favorite line in the whole film.
I think the whole appeal of the movie is the same as what the fox in Zootopia showed: You're given a rough start and you're only seen a certain way but you can still change for the better. And even if your life is great, like Metroman, you can still change for something both better and fulfilling.
Es mejor comparación con Ralph el demoledor
"Girls! Girls, you're both pretty! Can I go home now?"
Imagine adding this to every argument scene in a film. It’d be funny to hear Roxanne saying this in Toy Story while Woody and Buzz having their argument at the gas station.
Buzz: “Sheriff, this is no time to panic.”
Woody: “This is the perfect time to panic! I’m lost and Andy is gone! They’re going to move house in 2 days and it’s all YOUR fault!”
Buzz: “MY fault?! If YOU hadn’t pushed me out of the window in the first place…”
Woody: “Well, if YOU hadn’t shown up in your little cardboard spaceship and taken away everything that’s important to me…”
Roxanne: “Ugh! Girls! Girls! You’re both pretty! Can I go home now?”
So many basic bitches quote this lol
Hal is a really compelling villain because he's the dark premise of someone that believes they're owed more in life, and so as soon as they get power, they abuse it to "Take what they're owed", rather than earning it or working towards bettering themselves.
It's a temptation that many of us may have felt, "I'm owed this" is a dark path where we trample others believing it should serve us. Hal isn't sympathetic, as he's pretty wicked and embodies and enables a very dark trait and goes from harmless (Lack of power but still holding malice) to harmful (Power to back up said ill will), but he does reflect the temptations and devious thoughts one may have that leads to wronging others.
He's very "Real" in that he comes off like someone who would get powers just immediately deciding to serve themselves or thinking "I have powers = I should be loved" because of observing others with power, and we see that often, people who think age, position, or other title demands and commands respect, rather than earning it through effort and dedication and becoming worthy of respect. We've all probably worked with someone with a manager position who has abused it and believed they were owed respect because of their nametag, this just takes it to the extreme.
This is a random insight, but I almost feel like Metro Man saved Megamind from that rich house, if that couple possibly saw this big headed blue baby, they'd probably call the police and get him shipped off to the government sight, the reason he was kept in the prison is because the prisoners saw the potential, he was smart even as an infant, so of course they would teach him how to be evil just so he could break them out, he didn't realize it but he was being used and taught the bad things. As for the Warden, he took in Megamind to teach him right, its why he was sent to school, yeah he was still in prison, but I think the warden also knew what would happen if he had sent a blue kid too public school in the city.
In a way Metroman gave Megamind a better chance at life, sure it may not be glamorous, but it was definitely meaningful compared to Metroman's perfect life, it's probably WHY he got so bored, because not only had he been fighting Megamind for years on end, but he also realized he was put in the superhero persona from the start, unlike Megamind who (at least at that point) was fine being a villain, Metroman was sick of having to do the same thing every day, in a way he kind of served as Megaminds eye opener too what he could truly be.
And thats it, nothing happened afterwards.... nope, nothing.
13:01 I don't know. I get the idea of also switching the roles of the damsel in distress.... but by that logic, what should be done is having the damsel in distress now as the villain, villain now as the hero, and the hero now as the damsel....
And to some degree the fact that Metroman DOESN'T join the final conflict is what makes the main idea work. He is GENUINELY done with the superhero stuff to the point he just waited at his bunker, thinking everything will sort out itself
THIS. I can understand wanting more from a film, but...this one doesn't need it, and the movie is called "Megamind," so the focus should be on the main character, not everyone else's unnecessary side plots. I feel like this is one of Doug's oddball reviews, because on other films with similar things he complains about too much attention on the side characters/plot.
@@KnightsaysNiyeah, when I was watchining and noticing Doug talk about wanting it to do more/be more subversive, what came to mind is that this movie isn’t JUST trying to be a diversion of the superhero genre, it also IS trying to tell a genuinely good story. So sure, it might have some romcom drama breakup and some “typical” dialogue at the end, but I think it works for the kind of movie megamind is trying to be and actually benefits from it
You forgot to mention how he impersonated Metro Man. That was a pretty good twist.
DreamWorks' underrated gem.
"Minion: That, sir, is called a window.
Megamind: Window?
Minion : All the kids are looking through them."
Funniest line in the movie, and have since added it to my lexicon, and adapt it to sarcastically respond to a annoyingly stupid question....
Now kids are looking at a different kind of window.
"Being bad is the only thing Im good at"
And special effects for rock concerts
The lab scene of the camera man reflection is actually funny in two ways, one is that its basically doing a meta joke of this being a movie, and another is that it foreshadows the camera guy becoming the new superhero in the film!
I don't really agree with the critic on this one. This is a damn fine movie. :D
Another Fun Fact: The film's plot was based on the premise: "What if Lex Luthor defeated Superman?"
But Lex Luthor is also an alien...
And it works brilliantly!!
@@robinkholmes7127 so is megamind
@@koneheadcokehead4981 I’ll say he’s a composite between Lex Luthor AND Brainiac.
@@bluedye4068 That is not what th- ah screw it.
09:04 every possessive boyfriend when their partner dares have fun with anyone else other than him
The film was originally scripted as a live-action, R-rated, adult comedy. Megamind would have been called Master Mind, and Metro Man: Uberman, and Minion replaced three clones of famous historical figures. The studio did nothing with it, so it was brought over to DreamWorks Animation as a children's film instead.
I can only imagine it would’ve paled compared to the final film.
Is it just me or do a lot of family comedies start out as R-rated films before being rewritten to be more accessible to all ages? First Enchanted was almost an R-rated comedy and now Megamind? Is there any other family comedy that had its roots as a draft for an R-rated adult comedy that I should know about?
That would explain why criminals got away with raising Megamind instead of him being taken away to a secret government lab to work for the government, to build weapons.
@@robinkholmes7127 Almost the plot to A Beautiful Mind and Oppenheimer.
Why do you call Megamind a children's film?
Fun fact if you pay close attention to the scene before his "death" you can literally see the moment Metro Man flickers away during a part of MegaMind's rant to find himself!
Review Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate next week please.
Oh, please no.
@@luigipowdemo6458😈
@@luigipowdemo6458Please yes and Megamind Rules
@@crashban4t.f.s.b783With Schaffrillas!!!
Doug suffered with son of mask and food fight then he can do doom syndicate
13:20 that... Completely misses the point of the movie.
@@kristienwhitney-johns5863 I was about to comment the same. The point of the movie is Megamind the character, not really the role reversal
nc finally reviews megamind
previously was Dreamworks-urary though
@@Sharingan1230i really hope he brings that back! There's so many other films to review!
The beginning trope of "how did I get there?" it's also the way he says it. "Ah yes, here i am, about to die. What could have brought this outcome." So ridiculously casual
The greatest crime that Despicable Me come out during this movie run 😢
And it's an even greater crime when that movie kinda does the exact same thing as Megamind.
Except Megamind did it first, and it was better written.
I don't necessarily view Megamind as a masterpiece like a lot of people do, but I feel like this review massively skipped over a lot of the smaller details people zoom in on when watching the movie, specifically the comedy, the quotable dialogue and the twist of Hal. Many people didn't see him becoming a villain, but we all understand exactly why it happened as just about everyone has met someone in their life who would absolutely exploit power if given it.
People have done deep dives into how Hal is the definition of the "Nice guy." He says he knows everything about Roxanne, but he grabs a cart of flowers not knowing which one is her favorite. He gets mad that she never went to any of his parties, but she's not obligated to go. If you also look at his shirt its all negative messages. His shirt are "Error 404 Request not found." or "Game Over." Along with a frowney face button. Perfect no, but people can write essays on this movie.
This movie was ahead of its time. It's one of those films that you enjoy as a kid, but when you rewatch it as an adult, you see things from a different perspective and can relate to characters like Tighten the Incel or Markiplier or Megamind.
I think the movie's theme of absolute power corrupts absolutely and that superman can be evil was fairly new and connected with the audience so much. This is the movie that started the trend of evil superman which was quite revolutionary at that time. I think that's why this movie is so memorable.
I’ve been wanting a Nostalgia Critic review for this movie for a long time, and that day has finally come!
"They act like this has never been done in a comedy before." Well, what are they supposed to do? Be meta and hang a million lampshades on it? Or just embrace their tropes as they apply to their story? It didn't feel super preachy or smug about their message. They just presented it - what's the problem?
Another Fun Fact: Megamind starts his first years on Earth in the Metro City Prison for the criminally gifted, a play on Professor Xavier's school for the gifted from X-Men.
I think I smell a potential FanScription episode: What If Megamind Was Raised in Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters Instead?
Ooh. I missed that detail😂
Something I really like about the Black Mamba scene, Megamind's facial expressions. Normally with characters diving deeper into the dark side, they feel angry or betrayed or furious. But you can tell by looking at him, Megamind mainly just feels sad for losing Roxanne and Minion and pretty much getting confirmation in his own mind that he'll never be the good guy he thought he could be. Even that glare at the end speaks more of determination than any sort of malice. A pretty good way to show just how good he really is at heart, especially since most heroic characters would probably be a bit angrier in his shoes.
What's good about the metro man being alive scene is that at during the dome scene, you can actually see metro man blink away for a second
I remember there being some decent jokes in the the final battle. Megamind posing as Metroman was pretty good, Megamind's frustration with the charging time on his extractor, the locking of the car door.
Ironically, Dreamworks treated Megamind movie the same way he was treated when he was young in school
Megamind script quote: Some days it felt like it was just me and Minion against the world. No matter how hard I tried I was always the odd man out. The last one picked. A screw up! Black sheep! 😢
"There is no Easter Bunny, there is no Tooth Fairy, and there is no Queen of England!"
...true...
Fun Fact: Roxanne’s line “Girls! Girls! You’re both pretty!” was improvised by Tina Fey
Another Fun Fact: After Megamind has taken over the town, his large "No you can't" posters are a reference to President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign posters featuring the slogan "Yes we can".
And they're still funny, to me at least.
Me and my friends laughed pretty hard at the "I made you a hero. You did the 'fool thing' all by yourself" response. It perfectly demonstrates Hal's toxic trait of always blaming others when something doesn't go his way and Megamind throws it in his face.
Isn't it Funny how Megamind Expects Hal to be a Hero, same way Hal Expects Roxanne to be his GF?
Man i wish this Movie had a better sequel
It had a sequel? Never heared of it.
@@borikidorA Tv movie served for the pilot of the show made the same year
I thought the additional short where Megamind sold all his weapons was great.
@@borikidorthere is no war in ba sing se. There is no megamind vs the doom syndicate/megamind rules!
What sequel? There was no sequel, except maybe Button of Doom.
You mentioned it a little bit, but I feel one of the main selling points of this movie is how it plays with the idea of its characters being put in “roles” that they don’t really fit into.
Take Megamind and Metroman’s dynamic. They were placed in their roles as kids based on how others perceived them and they both ended up leaning into it as they grew up. Their “hero vs villain” battles were basically performative, just them acting out what was expected of them, with the villain kidnapping the girl and the hero coming to save her. You can see this in how Roxanne didn’t really take it seriously or see Megamind as a genuine threat until Metro-man seemingly died. She knew this was just a routine for them, so she didn’t need to worry about it. Metroman realized what was going on and after thinking about his life, decided the hero role didn’t really fit who he was or what he wanted so he left it. And not having a hero trying to stop him anymore made Megamind realize that he wasn’t happy in the villain role either.
Then there’s Hal, who was put into the role of the underdog who just needs the chance to prove himself. But once he actually gets power, he immediately starts abusing it when being a good person doesn’t benefit him and becomes an even worse villain than Megamind ever was.
And while I admit, they probably could’ve done more with her, Roxanne was more than just the damsel in distress. Like I said before, she saw through Megamind and Metroman’s whole dynamic, and she also played an active role in the story with Megamind needing her help at different times. Plus, there was that line about how everyone thought that she and Metroman were a couple, but they never were, which goes against the cliche
Actually why didn't they allow Roxanne to Break Free from her Roll as Damsel in Distress? I'm actually kinda Surprised, you don't have a bunch of Feminists saying they Hate the Film because of that!
I still think my favorite thing about rewatching this movie is that when Megamind and Metroman are trading quips before the giant death laser goes off, there's a single frame where you can see Metroman standing behind Megamind from his super-speed soul-searching.
The funniest thing is, Hal's codename is spelled as "Tighten" in the closed captions and on the Happy Meal toy package. That is peak comedy!
I forgot Ben Stiller was in this movie as Bernard
That's why I never would have guessed THIS movie.
Had no idea it was Ben Stiller
@louisduarte8763 dude fr I feel kinda cheated.
At least he's not Gru.
Yet.
Thank you very much for giving this movie some more appreciation. I don’t truly agree with a lot of your thoughts on the animation style especially considering how I have always felt that Roxanne was totally gorgeous and I remember having a little bit of a screen crush on her when I first saw the movie but I really liked how you talked about a few of the story twists, and how you did make an effort to see some of the things that make this movie stand out from traditional superhero movies. This movie is a gem to me and certainly something I will always remember fondly. I feel like it’s so cool to see how MegaMind actually gets to conquer the city and then he finds himself feeling lonely and sad and realizes that he wants more than that and he wants a different life even. I also even think that despite the fact it’s kinda obvious how Hal is a jerk and clearly meant to be the villain of the movie, and he clearly has no chemistry at all with Roxanne, he at first tries to make himself seem more endearing to her and he keeps trying to make a better impression on her because he’s already fallen for her and again I was really into her myself when I first saw the movie. I certainly would never try to get a girlfriend the way Hal does, but it does add a certain layer of charm to the story. Overall I definitely love this movie and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to see a superhero movie that’s a little bit different than what you expect. It’s very much so a feel good movie! It’s a movie that I will always love to share about as well!