At the end of 2010’s Despicable Me, master villain Gru had finally learned what it meant to be a good parent, and he let himself be swayed by the affections of three little girls who wanted desperately to have a father. It was touching; it was funny; and it was a surprise hit.
Now, three years later, Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment have rolled out Despicable Me 2, to catch up with Gru and kids and see what has become of them. Turns out, much has changed.
Gru (Steve Carell) is now a full-on father figure to Agnes (Elsie Fisher), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Margot (Miranda Cosgrove), having completely shed his villainous past. His minions now work in his factory making assorted jellies and jams, and Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) is kept busy trying to come up with nefarious new flavors instead of despicable plots.
When a new criminal mastermind emerges, stealing a secret research facility in the arctic, one that is developing a dangerous serum that changes even the cuddliest of creatures into cold-blooded monsters, the Anti-Villain League sends rookie agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) to recruit Gru to help track down the new villain.
Gru reluctantly accepts the new gig and is partnered with Lucy to run a cupcake shop at a local mall where traces of the serum have shown up. Gru and Lucy meet, Eduardo (Benjamin Bratt), the owner of Salsa y Salsa, who Gru recognizes as the long-dead villain, El Macho, who died after he was strapped to a great white shark loaded up with explosives and then shot on an active missile into an active volcano years before. Could El Macho still be alive after all these years?
Despicable Me 2 shifts the focus from the first film, which was family, to the theme of love, as Gru and Lucy begin to develop feelings for one another. While the softening of Gru’s heart made the first film enjoyable in the way it was laid out, here the transition isn’t as smooth. It’s not a bad thing, but when comparing apples to apples, it is evident that the script by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio isn’t as strong as the script of the first film. Luckily, the minions are there to save the day.
This time out, the minions factor into the actual story and it gives Despicable Me 2 its funniest moments. I think I could watch a full-length minion film and laugh until my sides hurt. And the end of Despicable Me 2 has one of those side-hurting, laugh out loud scenes that I will not forget for a very long time. The minions also seem to have more characterization, as well as names like Stuart, Kevin, Bob and Phil among many, many others. Illumination Entertainment hit a gold mine when these yellow pill-shaped guys were created and the sky is the limit as to where these little guys can go.
Despicable Me 2 plays more like a spy thriller and less like supervillain spoof, which works fine. It’s the love story that doesn’t seem to catch with me. I still found myself caring more about the kids this time out as well. The spy story is complete with a British commander at the Anti-Villain League named Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan). If this is the direction that the franchise is heading, then there is a ton of great stuff to mine from this genre, as the use of “heroes” to combat these evil villains seem to be out of the question after two films.
Lastly, the 3D in Despicable Me 2 is without question the best animated 3D I have ever seen. Directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud (who also provide the voices for the minions) unapologetic use the 3D to throw things in our faces and it is brilliant. There is the field of depth that 3D affords, which makes everything pop off the screen, but man, when the sight gags allow for it, they will throw everything at the audience and it works for an incredible joyous time in the theater. Despicable Me 2 is the reason to wear 3D glasses, plain and simple.
Sequels usually fail to live up to expectations, and Despicable Me 2 is no different. It has a different tone and feel to it, but it is still an incredible funny and entertaining movie and one that kids and adults can both enjoy. The performances are all stellar with most of the original cast returning, the 3D is the best I’ve ever seen, and the minions are undoubtedly the stars of this show, and deservedly so.
Despicable Me 2 is rated PG and opened in theaters everywhere on July 3, 2013. You can already pre-order Despicable Me 2 on Blu-ray and DVD.
