Fun! Fun! Fun! Okay, that is my review…
Are you still here? Expecting more? Well, I really cannot sum it up more concisely or better than that, but here goes…
After not having seen the first Despicable Me I really did not know what to expect. I knew people liked the first one. Especially those little yellow Minions. In my experience rare is it that the sequels live up to the bar set by beloved originals. I’m here to tell you that Despicable Me 2 is a lotta fun. Plenty of laughs due to silliness and intelligent humour. Enjoyable for kids and adults.
What is fresh and particularly enjoyable about the Despicable Me films is that the villain or bad guy is the protagonist. This time around he is not a bad guy, though.
Gru (Steve Carell – The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Date Night) has devoted himself to raising his three adopted daughters, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove – Despicable Me, School of Rock), Edith (Dana Gaier – appeared in an episode of 30 Rock) and Agnes (Elsie Kate Fisher – from television’s Masha and the Bear). Realizing that being a super villain is not really a good role model for such young, impressionable kids he is now managing a company that makes manufacturing jellies with flavour developer, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand – Get Him to the Greek, Saving Sarah Marshall). His idyllic existence is shook up when another villain steals a formula that puts the entire world in danger.
The Anti-Villain League headed by Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan – Tropic Thunder, Night at the Museum) recruits Gru to help them stop this new bad guy. Gru works with a partner, the silly ginger Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids, Paul), and he soon develops romantic feelings for her.
The film is really joke heavy. Once they started coming they never stopped. Plenty of laughter to be heard throughout the theatre from all age categories.
Once again the little yellow Minions steal the film. They are a scream. Even though you cannot understand one word they are saying. This makes them even funnier as every noise/sound that they make elicited laughter from me. Kids will once again love the Minions as they are energetic and full of mischief.
There are a couple of new characters that I enjoyed. The best of the lot is Lucy Wilde/Kristen Wiig with all her frenetic energy she is a riot. Vibrant enough a character that she does not get pushed to the background. Another one of my favourites was Dr. Nefario/Russell Brand. Now, I am admittedly a huge Russell Brand fan, so it is hard for me to tell if he was good or I was mesmerized by my affection for him. All I know is that I wanted the character to have more screen time.
Besides the expected humour there was also plenty of heart to the film. Directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud injected a warm and emotional facet. Love is a central theme in the film.
The visuals are great. Colourful and lively they really captivate your eyes. The characters are animated very well making them seem very realistic. It really makes the film come to life.
Also what was enjoyable was that it was not the same story over again. It was completely different and original. The same characters are there from the first film, but it is almost like they are real and have matured and developed.
Special Features:
-Digital Copy
-3 Mini-Movies
-Making of the Mini-Movies
-Deleted Scene
-The Minions
-Evil Minions
-A Gru-some Transformation
-El Hombre Malo: The Villainy of El Macho
-Gru’s Girls
-Gadgets Galore
-Limited Edition Ornament