'Megamind' is more of a mini retread

REVIEW

The latest action comedy from DreamWorks Animation, 'Megamind' features dazzling computer-animated design and action. Yet despite a clever hook -- what's a villain to do when he manages to defeat his superhero nemesis? -- it's a thin story that feels familiar and unfolds with no surprises.

The movie offers an amiably goofy voice cast led by Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill, whose wisecracks are cute if not terribly memorable.

Director Tom McGrath ('Madagascar' and its sequel) and screenwriters Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons aim to keep the pace moving as fast as a speeding bullet as blue, bulbous-headed Megamind (Ferrell) battles superpowered hero Metro Man (Pitt) for control of Metro City.

The story borrows liberally from 'Superman' as both Megamind and Metro Man begin as infants on distant, dying worlds, dispatched to Earth in space pods. Metro Man lands in a loving foster home, while Megamind gets dumped among prison inmates, setting him on his evil path and creating his rivalry with his heroic foe.

Fey's the Lois Lane stand-in as TV reporter Roxanne Ritchi, perpetually the focus of Megamind's attempts to ensnare Metro Man. Hill's a geeky cameraman who's in love with Roxanne and later becomes a new menace to Metro City as Megamind tries to fashion him into a replacement superhero after he actually vanquishes Metro Man.

With the smart, capable Roxanne, Fey delivers a real performance full of genuine tics and temperament, as opposed to the mostly caricatured vocals her male co-stars provide.