Despicable Me 2

DESPICABLE ME 2

Director : Chris Meledandri

Year : 2013

Genre : Animation

Rating : ****1/2

'Despicable Me 2' is the sequel to the 2010 monster hit 'Despicable Me' which stormed the box office on it's summer opening, earning nearly $600 million. Now, before I begin my review of it’s sequel, I must admit that I was no fan of 'Despicable Me' when it first came out. I found it to be a very generic CGI animation which was clearly made for the money and nothing else. It provided no entertainment whatsoever and the intellectual nourishment I got from it was virtually zero. So my first expectations of it's inevitable follow up were understandably low. That was until I saw the first trailer in the cinema and I realised that I really was missing a trick with the entire franchise; it made me laugh a number of times, it was moving, it was colourful, it was brilliantly animated and it was well voiced. Basically, it gave me everything I want in a trailer. In light of this, I re - watched 'Despicable Me' a few nights  before I was due to see it's sequel and within 5 minutes of the movie’s exposition, my eyes were suddenly opened. Having laughed more than I ever have at an animation and carrying a story that is more involving than most live action comedies, 'Despicable Me' now holds a special place in my heart; but however funny 'Despicable Me' is, it's sequel simply casts a long dark shadow over it. Funnier, more moving and more brilliant in every way possible, 'Despicable Me 2' is an absolute delight of a film that made me smile from beginning to end. Forget all other comedies, 'Despicable Me 2' is the funniest movie of the year and may gain a nomination for an Academy Award and you know what, based on the recent kids' movies released it may even stand a chance of winning.

Steve Carell returns as the voice of Gru, the ultra-suave Eastern European retired super villain, who has settled down into a life with his 3 adoptive daughters Margo, Edith and Agnes. When the Anti-villain league capture Gru and give him a job seeking out a rising evil genius, his life is turned upside down when he is teamed up with the beautiful, if not highly eccentric Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig) to track down the elusive antagonist. With the help of his adorable yellow minions and his 3 loyal daughters, Gru must find his target while also finding a way into the heart of his new love.

'Despicable Me' is the first franchise for Illumination Entertainment studios, who have also found great success with the the terrible Dr. Seuss cash - grab 'The Lorax' and the even worse Easter flop 'Hop'. Thankfully, director of 'Despicable Me 2' and founder of Illumination Entertainment Chris Meledandri clearly has comedy running through his veins and pushes the movie from average children’s fare to a pop culture icon. Full of slapstick humour, fantastic sight gags and a hugely entertaining animation style, Meledandri fills every scene of 'Despicable Me 2' with many laugh out loud moments; mostly due to the hilarious antics of the frankly, genius minions. Who knew that a yellow blob with one eye in dungarees speaking gobbledegook could be so gut - bustlingly funny? Clearly Meledandri did and he makes them the stars of the entire show. Whereas in the original, the minions weren't used for any purpose except for a random moment of violence or a quick sight gag, here they are used to carry entire scenes and are used perfectly. Reminiscent of Chaplin, Keaton and The Three Stooges, the minions are the comedy icons of the year. But while the minions are very, very funny, Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig and the children are also extremely entertaining and their roles are just as well written as the slapstick comedy.

Giving Gru a non-descript European accent, Carrell manages to create a role which isn't necessarily a stereotype, but allows his character to form an air of mysticism and underlying threat as well has having fun with pronunciation of common English words and slang. Changing the character from a villain to a doting father, Meledandri explores the pressures of parenthood and the desire to do the best for the ones we love. While Gru was funny in the original, here he is a lot more personable and likable. His interaction with his daughters is beautifully realised and are at times funny and at many times, deeply moving. His adoptive daughters are as entertaining as always, especially the adorable unicorn - obsessed Agnes voiced by the equally adorable Elsie Fisher. Kristen Wiig is delightfully mad as Lucy, Gru's love interest and has an enormous amount of fun with her characterisation. Her over the top performance is perfectly translated in the animation and this makes for an extremely enjoyable secondary character who tries to melt the heart of the icy ex – super villain.

While the plot couldn't fill a postage stamp, there is so much to enjoy in 'Despicable Me 2’. When I went to see it on Tuesday night, the screening room was relatively full. From the beginning credits, the laughter never stopped and throughout the movie, applause spontaneously broke out and gasps of breathless laughter erupted across the darkened room. Not since 'Toy Story 3' have I felt such a unified air of content during a film and by the ending animation, every single member of the audience had huge smiles on their faces. This is what children's entertainment should be like. For too long, kids have had to put up with generic and clichéd fodder that offers nothing new and sticks to boring conventions laid down by a decade of filmmaking. The once great PIXAR has lost their edge and imagination is slowly beginning to run out. But if movies like 'Despicable Me 2' are being made on a relatively regular basis, we can all relax as it is clearly a sign that directors haven't totally given up in providing children with superb entertainment that both kids and grown ups can enjoy without resorting to lazy conventions or tired adult in-jokes.

If you can't tell by now, I just adore 'Despicable Me 2'. Funny, moving, bright, colourful, touching, adrenaline pumping and fantastically good natured, it is a film that I will be recommending to everyone. If Illumination Entertainment can continue this trend, I think we may have a new leader in the computer animation field to steal PIXAR's already dropped crown and I hope that Chris Meledandri continues to make kids films for many years to come.

Oh, and as for my thoughts on the upcoming minions spin off movie:

''I'M SO EXCITED, I'M GONNA DIE!'