Despicable Me 2 review

DESPICABLE ME 2:

GRU’S BACK IN THE GAME IN THIS CUTE AND HUMOROUS SEQUEL!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Gru and Lucy going undercover in Despicable Me 2

            I loved Despicable Me, the hilarious and heartwarming 2010 animated comedy starring Steve Carell as the voice of supervillain, Gru who befriends three little girls that changed his heart forever. It was a very enjoyable animated movie and definitely received acclaim from both critics and audiences, I was actually waiting for a sequel for quite some time now because I just adored the characters in this film, and wouldn’t you know it, I got my wish, Despicable Me 2 which was a pretty good sequel.

            The movie may not be as inspiring as the first movie, but the animation looks great, it’s inventive, the humor is still written well, even if it’s a little childish at times, and the story is cute and touching, just like the first one.

            Ex-villain, Gru (voiced by Steve Carell-Crazy Stupid Love, The Office, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone) is now a father, taking care of his three girls, Margo (voiced by Miranda Cosgrove-Drake and Josh, ICarly), Edith (voiced by Dana Gaier), and Agnes (voiced by Elsie Fisher), and is now working as a jelly/jam manufacture with his beloved Minions. That is until he gets a visit from energetic secret agent, Lucy (voiced by Kirsten Wiig-Bridesmaids, The Looney Tunes Show) of the Anti-Villain League who encourages him to help her accomplish an important mission, take down the dastardly villain, El Macho (voiced by Benjamin Bratt-Traffic, Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs, Snitch) who acquired a serum that can transform Gru’s Minions into vicious matter-eating beasts and plans on using them to take over the world.

            With the help of Lucy, the girls, his beloved friend, Dr. Nefario (voiced by Russell Brand-Get Him to the Greek, Rock of Ages), and the head of the AVL, Silas Ramsbottom, (Hehe, bottom, anyway, voiced by Steve Coogan-Tropic Thunder, Ruby Sparks, The Other Guys), Gru will do whatever it takes to defeat El Macho and save the day, because when the world needs a hero, sometimes you need a villain to become one.

            Despicable Me 2 as a whole was a strong sequel to the first movie, the characters are just as likable as they were in the predecessor, perhaps a little more likable than they were in the first one. The humor, while childish at times will definitely make kids laugh hysterically, there’s even some moments where older audiences can smile at and possibly laugh just as much as the kids.

            Just like the first movie, the story is very sweet and written well, back in the first movie it was about Gru having his life change forever, this one is about Gru becoming a hero and him falling in love with Lucy. Pretty much everything I enjoyed about the first movie is present here, likable characters, comedy, cool action, and great voice performances by Carell and the rest of the cast.

            While I wouldn’t consider it better than Monsters University or Epic, Despicable Me 2 makes a strong third place spot on my favorite animated films from this year. It’s fun for adults just as much as it is for kids, great family entertainment.