Review: 'Megamind' won't stay long on yours

He who conquers all has nothing left to conquer.

This is the essential dilemma at the center of "Megamind," the latest completely enjoyable, if inherently lightweight, 3-D animated probable blockbuster, arriving just in time for the holiday season, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with any holidays.

Megamind (Will Ferrell) is a somewhat angular blue fellow who fell to earth from a distant planet as a babe.

His sworn enemy is Metro Man (Brad Pitt), a Superman type. Megamind is smart, Metro Man is muscled.

One day, in the midst of one of their superbattles, Megamind gets lucky and Metro Man is crushed. Soon Megamind has control of their base city and ... now what's he supposed to do?

Well, one thing he does is take on a human appearance and begin wooing television newswoman Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey), Metro Man's former squeeze. But more importantly, he decides to create another superhero to do battle with.

This is how a creepy cameraman (Jonah Hill) is transformed into a superguy who decides to go with the evil option instead of the hero option. Suddenly, Megamind is forced to become the good guy.

Director Tom McGrath (the "Madagascar" movies) pulls all this off smoothly, and the 3-D effects here are the best since "How to Train Your Dragon." Families will enjoy the movie; kids will want Megamind action figures, all the usual stuff.

But you have to wonder whether anyone will even remember "Megamind" in a few years (the prospect of "Megamind" 2, 3 and 4 just seems wearying). This is one of those animated films that works without being completely wondrous.

Really, you'll enjoy it. And then you'll forget it.

tlong@detnews.com

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