Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Director: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud
Story: Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio
Cast: Steve Carell, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig
Music: Heitor Pereira, Pharrell Williams
Time: 98 minutes
Bottom-line: Double the fun! 

This is one of the few films, according to me, that are better their prequel. Despicable Me 2 comes with more laughs, more action, and importantly, more minions than the first installment of the series. Steve Carell reprises his role as the super-villain Gru, as does Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario. Kristen Wiig and Benjamin Bratt co-star. This film was nominated for two Oscars at the 86th Academy Awards: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (losing both to Frozen).

Gru (left) and Dr. Nefario (right)

When the world needed a hero, they called a villain. Super-villain Gru has now become a father of three: Margo, Agnes and Edith. He is now using his minions to produce jelly on a large scale, and Dr. Nefario, saying that he has “missed being evil”, leaves Gru for new employment. Gru however, is recruited by the Anti-Villain League, to locate and bring back PX-41, a powerful mutagen. Though reluctant, he is paired with Lucy Wilde (Wiig), and they search the local mall, where the mutagen is supposedly located. They meet Eduardo Pérez (Bratt), a restaurant owner, whom Gru suspects to be El Macho, a legendary super-villain. The adventures Gru and Lucy have together, in the course of which they develop a liking for each other is what the film is about.

Lucy

No matter how old you get, you will always picture the minions as “cute”! And that is perhaps one of the main reasons I loved this film more than its prequel – more minions! The story is interesting – here we see Gru as a family man more than a villain. We see his transition from a good guy to a bad guy now. He starts to have romantic feelings as well (look out for the way his mood changes before and after the song “Happy”). The thing is, I like the way the same character is used, but he has completely new attributes this time. The twist of events in the story is quite unexpected... here’s something for you to think about: what would happen if the minions became evil vicious monsters??

My favourites !!

Even if the overall plot is not that innovative or interesting, it is the animation that makes it worth watching. Illumination Mac Guff has done a terrific job. In nearly every scene the dialogues are funny, or the mere sight of what is happening makes you want to laugh! Watch out for the scene where the minions are on the beach, the scene when Dr. Nefario is given a 21-gun fart gun salute (!!) and the one where the minions are sucked in by the ice cream truck... and yes, these are just few of the many interesting scenes from the film.

Once again, Steve Carell is excellent in voicing Gru, and Kristen Wiig, in the end did a good job too. Despicable Me 2 manages to combine slapstick comedy, drama, romance and action into a 100 minute package, that also comes with brilliant animation. Don’t expect a great story, but you can expect a visual treat!

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 74%