The 2010 Dreamworks Animation original film, Megamind, gets its first direct sequel titled Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate released exclusively to Peacock on March 1, 2024, receiving a lot of criticism.
Dreamworks Animation has been producing sequels to their classic films since their release of Shrek 2 in 2004, which is still recognized today as one of the greatest animated sequels of all time. With Dreamworks teasing a new Megamind sequel on social media, fans were excited to see Megamind’s return to the big screen.
The first trailer for Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate was uploaded to Youtube on February 1, 2024. At the end of the trailer, it was announced that a Megamind television show titled Megamind Rules! also only streaming on Peacock, was to release the same day as the film. There was immediate backlash based on the trailer alone.
Being exclusive on the Peacock streaming service, no returning voice actors, lower quality animation, and inconsistent storytelling are some of the aspects that viewers began to notice.
“It is sad that this is what they did to Megamind, a normal sequel would have been so much better, it is embarrassing,” Megamind fan Georgia Grindell said.
When the film and television series released to Peacock on March 1, 2024, the same opinions that came with the trailer only intensified. There was even speculation that the plot was created by AI because of how basic and inconsistent to the original story that the film was.
Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate received a 0% score from Rotten Tomatoes critics with a 7% from audiences, and a 2.3 stars out of ten on IMDb.
It is argued that these issues would not be as glaring if the film was not directed or advertised toward fans that grew up with the movie. With the original film releasing in 2010, most fans of the franchise are nearing their later teenage years and twenties.
With the Youtube trailer using phrases such as, “Megamind is back, you’re welcome”, there is confusion as to how this could cater toward younger audiences that have never seen Megamind.
“Little kids don’t know what Megamind is unless their parents showed it to them,” FHS alumni Ethan Brown added.
With Dreamworks Animation’s latest theatrical release of Kung Fu Panda 4 on March 8, 2024, and the newly announced sequel, The Bad Guys 2, set for August 1, 2025, creating sequels for hit movies with large budgets is still on the company’s radar. Fans of 2010’s Megamind hold on hope for a continuation with more love and effort put into it.
I think that Megamind vs.The Doom Syndicate is a very bad cash grab written by people that have zero passion for the original franchise. Dreamworks used the popularity of Megamind among young adults and teens to hype up a low-quality film that could be easily digested by babies.
The plot of the sequel contradicts the original film completely, constantly going against numerous details that the original film displayed. Such as Megamind’s backstory, changing Minion’s name to Chum, and completely getting rid of Megamind and Roxanne’s love story.
Besides the bad voice acting and animation, I wish that there was love put into a continuation rather than a few writers trying to make a couple of bucks.
