When Jeffery Katzenberg founded Dreamworks Animation he was keen to give the studio's films an identity separate from that of rival animation studios Disney and Pixar. Well, over the last decade he's certainly done that...except that identity is predictably one of shallow emotions, chocked full of contemporary pop/rock tunes, crap pop culture jokes, needless A-list celebrity voice-overs and a manic eagerness to please which can lead to overkill. With the exception of 2004's Shark Tale (which is unwatchable crap) most of Dreamworks output has been passable, unremarkable, disposable nonsense where kids can be dazzled by the bright colours and the adults won't be too uncomfortable over a 90 minute running time. Only Over The Hedge and 2010's stunning How To Train Your Dragon have raised the bar from the studio.
Sadly, Megamind is back to the run of the mill; it's fine, being funny (you certainly get your moneys worth with Will Ferrell), fast paced, visually stunning and fun. But, as expected it's engaging but not deep (as Pixar movies are), has an interesting superhero plot (but it's too convoluted to work well) and is jumping up and down, waving it's arms in the air so wildly it rarely calms down enough to make us care about the characters. Considering Dreamworks are planning even more sequels to their dispensable hits (Madagascar 3, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss In Boots) I just hope they try a little harder next time.
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