Comedy
Dead Boy Detectives
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
It’s not easy being mean. As it turns out, though, being a hero isn’t a walk in the park either.
In the 2010 animated movie Megamind, the titular supervillain realized that maybe, being a villain isn’t so super after all. The blue, big-brained genius decided instead to become Metro City’s newest hero, protecting its citizens from evil rather than being that evil himself.
Now (following his adventure in Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate, which serves to set up this sequel series), Megamind is back, and he’s starting to see that there’s a lot more to this gig than he thought. He’ll have to figure out the ways of the “onternet” (although he should probably start by learning to call it the “internet” instead), keep up with the up-and-coming heroes who want to run him out of business, and also deal with the crime syndicate terrorizing Metro City. Hey, if the right thing to do was always easy, everyone would be doing it, right?
The original Megamind told a charming story about a villain learning to stand up for good. For the most part, Megamind Rules! keeps this theme rolling, albeit with a few setbacks.
A major element of this sequel story is Megamind building a social-media presence with the help of his sidekick, Keiko. Heavy emphasis is placed on gaining views, followers, and “going viral.” Megamind begins to film vlogs documenting his everyday life and superhero antics, hoping to gain popularity in Metro City. Of course, there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of this, but the show’s fixation on social media image doesn’t exactly set a great example for younger viewers.
In terms of other content issues, parents can (mostly) rest easy. Action is limited to mild mayhem such as explosions and brief fistfights; blood and violence aren’t a problem here. “Dang” and “butt” are likely the worst instances of language kids will come across.
Thematically, however, things are a bit trickier. Episodes can vary from great (everyone makes mistakes, even superheroes) to not-so-great (the person we are depends on who we want to be). In short, picking an episode of Megamind Rules! at random could result in a fun, harmless adventure about choosing good over evil, or it could be about the importance of making your latest vlog go viral.
There’s plenty to appreciate about Megamind’s small-screen debut, but be aware—parents should know about some potentially adverse messages before reintroducing their kids to Metro City’s unlikely hero.
Having just embarked on his superhero career, Megamind is threatened by a new, more popular hero named Dude Monkey. To keep up, Megamind decides to learn the ways of social media to gain internet popularity.
A few instances of action and mayhem take place. Megamind blows up the doors of a grocery store to stop a robbery (he tends to do this a lot when entering buildings—can you tell he likes a dramatic entrance?), and Dude Monkey uses his martial arts skills to beat up the criminal. A fight at an aquarium results in similar explosions and hand-to-hand combat, though no one is ever actually hurt during these battles. Megamind announces his intent to “beat Dude Monkey to an internet pulp.”
Speaking of the internet, Megamind’s main goal throughout the episode is to achieve Dude Monkey’s level of social media fame. He films himself saving people and talking to the camera about his heroic acts, obsessing over his views and follower count. In the end, he succeeds in going viral by accidentally uploading footage of his embarrassing moments from crime fighting, and he realizes the importance of showing that anyone can make mistakes. His investment in his social media following is never criticized or shown in a negative light.
Megamind says he’s going to “knock Dude Monkey’s channel on its weird monkey butt.” He also refers to the secretary of his his friend Roxanne Ritchi as “the secretary of party pooping” and uses the expression “what in Hades’ hamper?”
After accidentally knocking Mr. Donut (a local doughnut store owner) into a vat of icing, Megamind hurries to ensure that he didn’t accidentally create a supervillain.
Mild action is found in this episode. Mr. Donut accidentally shoots a laser gun around a bank, causing explosions and chaos as civilians flee and scream. Megamind and his sidekick, Chum, are held over a pool of sharks while caught in a net. Megamind hallucinates that a doughnut is begging him to eat it, saying “my sweet flesh is yearning for those pearly chompers.” Megamind makes a joke about being tortured.
Mr. Donut claims that he lets fate guide him in his decisions, and a bad guy claims that fate is telling him he was born to be a villain. However, Megamind later convinces Mr. Donut to make his own choices, saying that “the kind of person we are comes down to the decisions we make.”
Lauren Cook is serving as a 2021 summer intern for the Parenting and Youth department at Focus on the Family. She is studying film and screenwriting at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. You can get her talking for hours about anything from Star Wars to her family to how Inception was the best movie of the 2010s. But more than anything, she’s passionate about showing how every form of art in some way reflects the Gospel. Coffee is a close second.
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
An elf mage contemplates on connection and regret as she watches her human friends grow old and pass away.
