Trailer Wednesday: Megamind, Going the Distance

More animated super-villainry and long-distance relationships come to us this Wednesday. First up is Will Ferrell in DreamWorks’ “Megamind” and second is the late-summer romantic comedy “Going the Distance” with Justin Long and Drew Barrymore. Also, I’ve now embedded the clips from YouTube right here on Movie Muse for the first time, so that should make this much easier for you.

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Megamind

It’s shaping up to be a big year for DreamWorks. After “How to Train Your Dragon” became the first critical and box office smash of the year, “Shrek Forever After” has hit theaters with the promise of more cash and now November 5 we get “Megamind,” the latest animated superhero/super-villain satire.

Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt voice Megamind and Metro Man, two fitting choices to portray a film about classic cartoon good vs. evil (though I believe Robert Downey Jr. was at one time attached as Megamind). I found the gag with Tina Fey’s reporter character shrugging off Megamind’s predictable torture methods quite amusing as well as the Superman origin story parody at the beginning. No actual plot was revealed in this trailer, which undoubtedly will be paramount to this film getting a warm reception from critics with its obvious archtypes and playing off the long-running superhero craze.

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Going the Distance

Justin Long and Drew Barrymore are not the usual romantic comedy suspects, well, not Long at least. The refreshing thing about this trailer appears to be the lack of repetitive gags and new supporting faces. The concept is not manufactured, it’s just real. They’re in a long-distance relationship and their friends help them cope in different ways.

Co-stars include Christina Applegate who I believe makes her first appearance on screen since her struggles with breast cancer as well as the hysterical Charlie Day from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

Go the distance non-Hercules style on August 27.