★★★
Three years ago, a little movie with an original plot came
out into the theaters called “Despicable Me”. It wasn’t a sequel. It wasn’t
marketed by a name-brand animation studio (i.e. Pixar). It was just a solid and
funny film that everyone seemed to like. And it went on to earn over $250
million. Of course, with that kind of box office draw, a sequel is all but a
certainty. But could the filmmakers give such a great film the follow up it
deserves without trying to outdo it? Short answer: yep!
“Despicable Me 2” finds Gru (Steve Carell) no longer living
his life as a super villain. He’s busy being a father raising his three adopted
girls Margo, Edith and Agnes (Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher).
He’s a businessman now, making jellies and jams that aren’t very good. His
faithful assistant, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), isn’t happy being out of the
villain game. He takes another job offer and leaves Gru and his wacky Minions
to make the jelly on their own.
One day, Gru is kidnapped by Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig), an
agent for the Anti-Villain League. She takes him to see her boss Silas
Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan). They ask for his help finding a villain who has
stolen an arctic research lab containing a chemical that can turn nice things
into evil things (such as a cute bunny into a viscous man eater). Gru initially
declines but later accepts.
They believe that the villain is hiding out undercover as
the owner of a store in a mall. Gru and Lucy set up their undercover operation
as cupcake storeowners. They suspect the villain may be Eduardo (Benjamin
Bratt) who Gru thinks looks an awful lot like a villain whose been presumed
dead for many years. They also think it might be Floyd (Ken Jeong), the weird
owner of a wig store.
Meanwhile, Gru is trying to find out whether or not he is
developing an attraction to Lucy. His girls certainly would welcome a mother
figure in their lives. And Margo is also starting to develop an attraction to
boys, especially for a boy she meets at the mall, Antonio (Moises Arias). So
Gru’s got his hands full.
“Despicable Me 2” cannot match the humor levels of its
predecessor, but it is still a very worthy follow up. The tone of the film has
been reduced some from the first; it definitely feels more like kids film. Not
to say the original wasn’t a kids movie, just that “Despicable Me 2” comes
across with more simplicity to it.
Co-writers Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul, writers of the
original, have reduced the complexity of their story and their characters to
much lower age level. This is not a bad thing; just an observation. Their story
has been simplified to such a level that all the plot twists can be seen a mile
away. But where this may disappoint some, the target audience will follow with
great ease. And that’s really who this film is meant for.
Directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud keep the film at a
lighting quick pace. The 98-minute run time is gone before you know it. The
jokes come one right after the other. Most are slapstick this time around. But
once again, that’s okay! The voice performances, especially by Carell and Wiig,
are top notch. Both comedians have made their careers on the expressiveness in
their faces and that carries over very well here.
The Minions, of course, are the characters everyone wants to
see. They are probably one of the most amusing cartoon characters created in a
very long time. Their crazy antics in the original stole the film. Here, they
receive a bit more screen time and are more deeply integrated into the plot,
which is nice. More Minions is always a good thing. Their stand-alone film,
coming out Christmas 2014, should be a very welcoming addition to this
franchise.
Fans of the original should find a lot to like about
“Despicable Me 2”. It may not be as smart or quite as amusing as the first film,
but that shouldn’t stop anyone from enjoying every minute of it. Its
interesting that despite perceived flaws in a film, animated features are still
some of the better movies that come out each year. “Despicable Me 2” probably
won’t be singled out for any awards or “Best Ten” lists at the end of the year,
but its still better than half of the movies that have come out this year up
till this point.
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