Film Review: Despicable Me 2

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Tuesday, 16 July 2013

Film Review: Despicable Me 2

Posted on 22:24 by Unknown
"Duuuude, I am so stoned right now"

Released in 2010, Despicable Me was something of a surprise success when it roared through the box-office and raked in $540 million. The villainous antics of 'evil mastermind' Gru and his three adoptive kids Margo, Edith and Agnes resonated with kids and adults alike. As a result, a sequel was near-enough inevitable and here it is; Despicable Me 2.

I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of the original Despicable Me; the offbeat humour was a little bit too childish for my liking and it didn't have the depth that Dreamworks and Pixar films do. Whilst it was good fun, there wasn't much else below the surface to work with.

The same can kind of said for Despicable Me 2. Whilst the second edition of this popular franchise was a lot more enjoyable and entertaining than the first, I found that some elements of the film were too centred around things only kids find funny (like fart jokes etc:). I also found that it still lacks that key message or heart that makes any kids animation film a classic.

The premise is a solid one; Gru (Steve Carell) is contacted by the AVL (Anti-Villain League) to catch a super villain with unknown motives. What follows is 90 minutes of slick, colourful and wacky 'spy antics' inter-spaced with family issues and two blossoming romances. As a children;'s film, there are lots of tangents that see the central narrative fade into the background in favour of silly skits and sight gags. This isn't a problem as kid's won't care so long as it is funny.

"You've got something on your face - just there"
Good thing that Despicable Me 2 is very funny then. Like I said, I wrote the first film off as being too silly but this second film won me over a little bit more. I wouldn't say that it's as good as Pixar's latest effort Monsters University (or even Dreamwork's The Croods) but I had a good time despite being sober.

I did like that the film threw in some clever jokes that only older teens or adults would get - a shark crash lands in a sushi bar to whoops and cheers and Gru gets all 'protective dad' over Margo's boyfriend. These jokes that appeal to all ages manage to counterbalance the sometimes overly childish fart jokes that are thrown in; adults will enjoy Despicable Me 2 so long as they understand this is mostly all about the kids. 

With an all-star cast (Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig, Steve Coogan), Despicable Me 2 certainly boasts an impressive array or voice talent. It is hard to fault Steve Carell's voice acting as the loveable lead Gru; his accent (I'm sure it's supposed to be Russian, but I can't be sure) is very endearing and entertaining. Likewise, Kristen Wiig is good as Lucy, the agent Gru is partnered with  on his spy adventure.

Once again, the trio of kids that Gru fathers are likeable and entertaining (let's be honest though, we all love Agnes the most) but the real stars of the show are the wacky yellow 'minions'. For me, the minions are funny but only in small doses, which is why they start to grate a little across a whole 98 minute movie. At the end of the day however, kids will lap it up and that's why this film is golden for the summer holidays.

On the whole, Despicable Me 2 was a solid sequel which kids will have no trouble understanding. For anyone over the age of 16, it might have felt a little too silly or generic but so long as you don't go in expecting something as clever and heartfelt as Toy Story or How To Train Your Dragon, you'll have a good time.

I give Despicable Me 2: 5/10

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Posted in 2013 Film Review, Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, Film and Cinema, Film Reviews, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Carrell | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Thumbs and Ammo
    "I will find you and I will give you a thumbs up" Every now and again the Internet throws up something that is so brilliant it jus...
  • Film Review: This Is The End
    "Whoa careful, I don't want to break a nail" James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robin...
  • Film Review: Despicable Me 2
    "Duuuude, I am so stoned right now" Released in 2010, Despicable Me was something of a surprise success when it roared through the...
  • My Top Albums of 2012
    5) - Jack White - Blunderbuss Jack White's first solo outing post-White Stripes simultaneously took him back to his roots of being a str...
  • My PS3 Highlights #3: Batman - Arkham City
    "So how do you keep a secret from the World's Greatest Detective? Well, do you know? You stick it right under him. Right up under h...
  • The Forbes' Highest Paid Actors 2012-13
    RDJ is the highest paid actor in Hollywood In Hollywood, salary is all about power and influence; how much an actor/actress is paid reflects...
  • Film Review: Pacific Rim
    "Okay everyone, time to do our best slow motion bad-ass walk like we practised" Guillermo del Toro pitches monstrous creatures aga...
  • Formula 1: Belgian GP Overview
    Jenson Button proved his doubters wrong and racked up his second win of 2012 with a flawless drive from pole position at Spa-Francorchamps. ...
  • My Top 20 Songs of the Last 20 Years
    In order to celebrate 20 years of the Hottest 100 , Australian radio station triple j is currently running a feature on the Hottest 100 Son...
  • Verdict: Doctor Who Series 7 Part 1
    Doctorin' the TARDIS: Rory, The Doctor and Amy Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill return for a third trip aboard the TARDIS as ...

Categories

  • 007 (1)
  • 2 Fast 2 Furious (1)
  • 2012 (2)
  • 2012 F1 Season (1)
  • 2013 (2)
  • 2013 Film Review (25)
  • 2013 Music (1)
  • 2015 (1)
  • 21 Jump Street (1)
  • 60 Second Film Reviews (5)
  • A Good Day To Die Hard (5)
  • A New Hope (2)
  • Aaron Eckhart (1)
  • ABC (3)
  • Abu Dhabi GP (1)
  • Academy Awards (1)
  • After Earth (1)
  • Airplane (1)
  • Alan Rickman (2)
  • Album Reviews (6)
  • Albums of 2012 (4)
  • Albums of 2013 (2)
  • Alex Turner (1)
  • Alice Eve (1)
  • Alien (1)
  • Alison Brie (1)
  • All the Time (1)
  • Amazing Spider-man (1)
  • AMC (1)
  • Among Thieves (1)
  • Amy Adams (2)
  • Amy Pond (1)
  • An Idiot Abroad (3)
  • An Inconvenient Truth (1)
  • Andrea Riseborough (1)
  • Andrew Garfield (1)
  • Andrew Lincoln (1)
  • Andy Serkis (1)
  • Ang Lee (1)
  • Angelina Jolie (1)
  • Anna Kendrick (1)
  • Anne Hathaway (1)
  • Ant-Man (2)
  • apocalypse (1)
  • Arctic Monkeys (3)
  • Argo (3)
  • Arkham City (1)
  • Armie Hammer (1)
  • Arthur Conan Doyle (2)
  • Arthur Darvill (1)
  • Asylum of the Daleks (1)
  • baby names (1)
  • bad sequel titles (1)
  • Bahrain GP (1)
  • Batman (6)
  • Baz Luhrmann (1)
  • BBC (3)
  • BBC3 (1)
  • Beady Eye (1)
  • Ben Affleck (1)
  • Ben Kingsley (1)
  • Benedict Cumberbatch (5)
  • Best Films of 2012 (3)
  • Bilbo Baggins (1)
  • Billy Connelly (1)
  • Billy Crystal (1)
  • Black Panther (1)
  • Black Widow (1)
  • Bloc Party (2)
  • Blog Update (1)
  • Bombay Bicycle Club (2)
  • Brad Pitt (3)
  • Bradley Cooper (1)
  • Brave (2)
  • British Comedy (2)
  • Bruce Banner (1)
  • Bruce Greenwood (1)
  • Bruce Willis (4)
  • Bruno Senna (1)
  • Bryan Cranston (1)
  • Captain America (5)
  • Carey Mulligan (2)
  • Catching Fire (1)
  • Catherine Zeta-Jones (1)
  • CBS (1)
  • Chamber of Secrets (1)
  • Channel 4 (1)
  • Channing Tatum (3)
  • Charlize Theron (2)
  • Chevy Chase (1)
  • Chloe Moretz (1)
  • Chris Hemsworth (2)
  • Chris Pine (2)
  • Christian Bale (1)
  • Christopher McQuarrie (1)
  • Christopher Nolan (2)
  • Clara Oswald (4)
  • Cloud Atlas (2)
  • Coexist (1)
  • Cole Phelps (1)
  • Colour of the Trap (1)
  • Come of Age (1)
  • Comedown Machine (1)
  • comedy (1)
  • Community (1)
  • Contagion (1)
  • Cowboys and Aliens (1)
  • Craig Ferguson (1)
  • Crazy Stupid Love (1)
  • Dan Harmon (1)
  • Daniel Craig (3)
  • Daniel Day Lewis (1)
  • Daniel Radcliffe (1)
  • Danny Elfman (1)
  • Dark Shadows (1)
  • David Beckham (1)
  • David Mitchell (1)
  • David O. Russell (1)
  • DC Comics (5)
  • Deathly Hallows (1)
  • Denzel Washington (2)
  • Despicable Me (1)
  • Despicable Me 2 (1)
  • Die Hard (5)
  • Die Hard With A Vengeance (3)
  • Disney (2)
  • Doctor Who (4)
  • Dominic Toretto (1)
  • Don Cheadle (1)
  • Don't Forget Who You Are (1)
  • Donald Glover. (1)
  • Dwayne Johnson (3)
  • Ed O'Neill (1)
  • Elementary (1)
  • Eleventh Doctor (1)
  • Emma Stone (3)
  • Emma Thompson (1)
  • Emma Watson (3)
  • Empire Strikes Back (2)
  • Episode VII (1)
  • Eric Stonestreet (1)
  • Eva Green (1)
  • Ewan McGregor (1)
  • F1 Race Reports (21)
  • Facebook (1)
  • Fast 5 (2)
  • Fast and Furious (3)
  • Fast and Furious 6 (2)
  • Features (1)
  • Fernando Alonso (3)
  • Ferrari (3)
  • Film and Cinema (31)
  • Film Reviews (44)
  • Film Trailers (1)
  • Finding Nemo (1)
  • Flick of the Finger (1)
  • Flight (2)
  • Flightplan (1)
  • Forbes (1)
  • Force India (1)
  • Formula One (32)
  • Frankenweenie (1)
  • Fresh Meat (1)
  • Friendly Fires (1)
  • Gaming (2)
  • Gandalf (1)
  • Gangster Squad (1)
  • Gemma Arterton (1)
  • George Lucas (3)
  • Gerard Butler (1)
  • Gillian Jacobs (1)
  • Given to the Wild (1)
  • Goblet of Fire (1)
  • Good News (1)
  • Good News Week (1)
  • Green Lantern (2)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (1)
  • Guillermo del Toro (1)
  • Guy Pearce (1)
  • Gwyneth Paltrow (1)
  • Half Blood Prince (1)
  • Halle Berry (2)
  • Han Solo (1)
  • Hans Gruber (2)
  • Harrison Ford (1)
  • Harry Potter (3)
  • Henry Cavill (1)
  • Highest Grossing Films of 2013 (1)
  • Highest Paid Actors (1)
  • Homer Simpson (1)
  • Hot Fuzz (1)
  • Hottest 100 (1)
  • Hugh Grant (1)
  • Hugh Jackman (2)
  • Hulk (2)
  • I Am Legend (1)
  • Ian Fleming (1)
  • Ian McKellan (1)
  • Ice Warriors (1)
  • Idris Elba (1)
  • Independence Day (1)
  • indie music (2)
  • Iron Man (8)
  • Iron Man 2 (1)
  • Iron Man 3 (6)
  • Is This It (1)
  • Jack Reacher (2)
  • Jack White (2)
  • Jack Whitehall (1)
  • Jacki Weaver (1)
  • Jaden Smith (1)
  • Jai Courtney (3)
  • James Bond (2)
  • James Franco (2)
  • Jason Segel (1)
  • Jay Baruchel (1)
  • Jay Gatsby (1)
  • Jenna-Louise Coleman (3)
  • Jennifer Lawrence (3)
  • Jeremy Renner (3)
  • Jessica Chastain (1)
  • JJ Abrams (2)
  • JLA (1)
  • Joe Thomas (1)
  • Joel McHale (1)
  • Joesph-Gordon Levitt (2)
  • John Goodman (2)
  • John Hurt (1)
  • John McClane (2)
  • Johnny Depp (2)
  • Jon Bernthal (1)
  • Jonah Hill (2)
  • Jonny Lee Miller (1)
  • Joseph Kosinski (1)
  • Josh Brolin (2)
  • Josh Hutcherson (1)
  • Joss Whedon (2)
  • Jude Law (1)
  • Julian Casablancas (1)
  • Julie Bowen (1)
  • Justice League (3)
  • Karen Gillan (1)
  • Karl Pilkington (3)
  • Kate Beckinsale (1)
  • Katniss Everdeen (1)
  • Ken Jeong (1)
  • Kermit the Frog (1)
  • Kevin Feige (1)
  • Kimberly Nixon (1)
  • Kirk (1)
  • Kristen Stewart (1)
  • LA Noire (1)
  • Lana Del Rey (1)
  • Lara Croft (1)
  • Lawless (3)
  • Leonardo DiCaprio (2)
  • Les Miserables (1)
  • Lewis Hamilton (2)
  • Liam Gallagher (1)
  • Liam Neeson (3)
  • Life of Pi (2)
  • Lincoln (1)
  • Live Free or Die Hard (2)
  • Logan Lerman (1)
  • Looper (3)
  • Lucy Liu (1)
  • Luke Skywalker (1)
  • M. Night Shyamalan (1)
  • M83 (1)
  • Man of Steel (8)
  • Marc Forster (1)
  • Marge Simpson (1)
  • Mark Gatiss (1)
  • Mark Webb (1)
  • Martin Freeman (6)
  • Marvel (9)
  • Marvel Month (6)
  • Marvel Phase 2 (2)
  • Matt Groening (1)
  • Matt Smith (4)
  • Mayan (1)
  • McG (1)
  • Mclaren (3)
  • MCU (1)
  • Men in Black (1)
  • Merida (1)
  • Michael Cera (1)
  • Michael Fassbender (1)
  • Mike Banning (1)
  • Mila Kunis (1)
  • Miles Kane (1)
  • Miranda Cosgrove (1)
  • Mission: Impossible (1)
  • Mission: Impossible. (2)
  • Modern Family (2)
  • Moneyball (1)
  • Monkey News (1)
  • Monsters Inc (1)
  • Monsters University (4)
  • Morgan Freeman (2)
  • Mumford and Sons (1)
  • Muse (1)
  • Music (12)
  • Natalie Portman (1)
  • Nathan Drake (1)
  • NBC (1)
  • New Doctor Who (4)
  • news (1)
  • Nic Cage (1)
  • Nick Carraway (1)
  • Nick Fury (2)
  • Nick Nolte (1)
  • Nico Hulkenberg (1)
  • Noomi Rapace (1)
  • North Korea (1)
  • Oblivion (2)
  • Olga Kurylenko (1)
  • Olympus Has Fallen (1)
  • One Way Trigger (1)
  • Opinion (26)
  • Order of the Phoenix (1)
  • Oscars 2013 (3)
  • Pacific Rim (1)
  • Pastor Maldonado (1)
  • Paul Weller (1)
  • Peter Jackson (2)
  • Peter Parker (1)
  • Phil Dunphy (1)
  • Philosopher's Stone (1)
  • Pirates of the Carribean (1)
  • Pixar (4)
  • Planet of the Apes (1)
  • Playstation (3)
  • Playstation 3 (3)
  • Podcasts (1)
  • Prisoner of Azkaban (1)
  • Product Placement (1)
  • Prometheus (1)
  • PS3 Highlights (3)
  • PS4 (3)
  • Quotes Corner (3)
  • Rachel Weisz (1)
  • Rafe Spall (1)
  • Ralph Fiennes (1)
  • Rank the Films (6)
  • Rants (16)
  • Rebecca Hall (1)
  • Red Bull (3)
  • Return of the Jedi (2)
  • Rian Johnson (1)
  • Richard Hawley (1)
  • Richard Parker (1)
  • Rick Grimes (1)
  • Ricky Gervais (3)
  • Ridley Scott (1)
  • Rise of the Guardians (1)
  • River Song (2)
  • Robert De Niro (2)
  • Robert Doherty (1)
  • Robert Downey Jr (4)
  • Robert Zemeckis (1)
  • Rockstar Games (1)
  • Rocksteady (1)
  • Romy Madley-Croft (1)
  • Rooney Mara (1)
  • Rosamund Pike (1)
  • Rotten Tomatoes. critics (1)
  • rubbish film titles (1)
  • Ruben Fleischer (1)
  • Russell Crowe (1)
  • Russell Howard (1)
  • Ryan Gosling (2)
  • Ryan Reynolds (1)
  • Safe House (1)
  • Sam Mendes (1)
  • Sam Raimi (1)
  • Sam Worthington (1)
  • Samuel L. Jackson (1)
  • Sarah Silverman (1)
  • satirical (1)
  • Sauber (1)
  • science-ficition (1)
  • Sean Penn (1)
  • Season Review (2)
  • Sebastian Vettel (3)
  • Sergio Perez (1)
  • Series 1 (1)
  • Series 7 (1)
  • Seth Rogen (1)
  • Shaun of the Dead (1)
  • Sherlock (6)
  • Sherlock Holmes (5)
  • Shia LaBeouf (1)
  • Side Effects (1)
  • Silver Linings Playbook (2)
  • Silver Surfer (1)
  • Simpons (1)
  • Sitcom (3)
  • Skyfall (3)
  • Snakes on a Plane (1)
  • Snitch (1)
  • Snow White (1)
  • Sofia Vergara (1)
  • Sony (2)
  • Spider-man (2)
  • Spock (1)
  • stand-up comedy (1)
  • Star Trek (1)
  • Star Trek Into Darkness (3)
  • Star Wars (5)
  • Starfleet (1)
  • Stephen Merchant (3)
  • Steve Carrell (2)
  • Steve Rogers (1)
  • Steven Moffat (6)
  • Steven Soderbergh (1)
  • Steven Spielberg (1)
  • Superman (5)
  • Suraj Sharma (1)
  • Suzanne Collins (1)
  • Taken (2)
  • Taken 2 (1)
  • Tame Impala (2)
  • Television (18)
  • The Avengers (8)
  • The Avengers 2 (1)
  • The Bells of St. John (1)
  • The Bourne Legacy (1)
  • The Croods (1)
  • The Cybermen (1)
  • The Dark Knight (3)
  • The Dark Knight Rises (3)
  • The Day After Tomorrow (1)
  • The Desolation of Smaug (1)
  • The Doctor (3)
  • The Expendables 2 (1)
  • The Great and Powerful (1)
  • The Great Gatsby (2)
  • The Hobbit (6)
  • The Horrors (1)
  • The Hunger Games (1)
  • The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (1)
  • The Inbetweeners Movie (1)
  • The Incredible Hulk (1)
  • The Lone Ranger (2)
  • The Maccabees (2)
  • The Muppets (1)
  • The Name of the Doctor (1)
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1)
  • The Phantom Menace (1)
  • The Ricky Gervais Show (3)
  • The Rubens (1)
  • The Simpsons (1)
  • The Soup (1)
  • The Strokes (2)
  • The Vaccines (5)
  • The Wachowskis. (1)
  • The Walking Dead (1)
  • The White Stripes (1)
  • The Winter Solider (1)
  • The Wizard of Oz (1)
  • The Wolverine (3)
  • The Woman In Black (1)
  • The World's End (1)
  • The xx (4)
  • This Is The End (1)
  • This Means War (1)
  • Thor (4)
  • Thor: The Dark World (4)
  • Thumbs and Ammo (1)
  • Tim Burton (2)
  • Tobey Maguire (1)
  • Tokyo Drift (1)
  • Tom Cruise (2)
  • Tom Hanks (2)
  • Tom Hardy (2)
  • Tomb Raider (1)
  • Tomb Raider reboot (1)
  • Tommy Lee Jones (1)
  • Tony Stark (1)
  • Top 20 Songs (1)
  • Top 5 (1)
  • Total Recall (1)
  • Toy Story (1)
  • Trailers (1)
  • Transformers (1)
  • triple j (1)
  • Twelfth Doctor (1)
  • Twilight (1)
  • Ty Burrell (2)
  • Uhura (1)
  • Uncharted (1)
  • Underworld (1)
  • University (1)
  • Up (1)
  • Victor Sullivan (1)
  • Vin Diesel (2)
  • Voice of Reason (15)
  • Walking Dead (1)
  • Wall-E (1)
  • weird news (1)
  • White House (1)
  • White House Down (1)
  • Will Smith (2)
  • Williams (1)
  • World War Z (1)
  • Wrath of the Titans (1)
  • Wreck-It Ralph (1)
  • X-Men (2)
  • XFM (2)
  • Yann Martel (1)
  • Zack Snyder (3)
  • Zero Dark Thirty (1)
  • zombie (1)

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2013 (72)
    • ▼  July (12)
      • My PS3 Highlights #3: Batman - Arkham City
      • Voice of Reason #15: Crafting the Justice League P...
      • Film Review: This Is The End
      • The Forbes' Highest Paid Actors 2012-13
      • Film Review: Despicable Me 2
      • Film Review: Pacific Rim
      • My PS3 Highlights #2: L.A. Noire
      • Voice of Reason #14: Haters Gonna' Hate
      • Film Review: The Lone Ranger
      • We're now on Facebook!
      • Voice of Reason #13: Crafting the Justice League
      • Feature: Casting Lara Croft (Tomb Raider Reboot)
    • ►  June (14)
    • ►  May (11)
    • ►  April (11)
    • ►  March (9)
    • ►  February (7)
    • ►  January (8)
  • ►  2012 (83)
    • ►  December (8)
    • ►  November (7)
    • ►  October (7)
    • ►  September (8)
    • ►  August (4)
    • ►  July (9)
    • ►  June (6)
    • ►  May (4)
    • ►  April (6)
    • ►  March (8)
    • ►  February (8)
    • ►  January (8)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile