Despicable Me 2

Voices of: Steve Carell, Kristin Wiig, Russell Brand, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Elsie Fisher, Ken Jeong, Dana Gaier
Directed by: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Gru (Steve Carell) is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to track down a mysterious villain.

Review:

Tim: Unlike most people, I really did not care for Despicable Me. Some truly great animated movies have come out of Hollywood in the last few years, but that was not one of them. It was just a weak, average movie dressed up like something special. Too many people drank the Kool-Aid, which was disappointing. Suffice to say, three years later, I wasn't exactly looking forward to Despicable Me 2. However, I have to be admit, I was totally surprised to find that this movie actually improved on the original. It's still not a good movie, but it's better than the first film.

One of the best decisions about this film was making Gru a hero, not a villain. I still dislike the character and Carell's voicing of him, but he was slightly less annoying this time around. By giving us at least a sliver of a reason to care about Gru, this movie immediately started improving on the first film. The movie does a decent job of creating at least the impression of a mystery. While the film is actually quite predictable, there were a few moments where I did wonder if I was missing something. There are a few unexpected twists, but these are fairly minor and unimportant.

During the first movie, I felt like the minions were very overrated. I suppose I'm warming up slightly to them. There were some pretty cute moments featuring them. I still think they're pretty stupid, but I get why kids love them. I will never be a fan, but I get it. They did add a good deal of comedic relief to the film.

One of the aspects I hated about this film is the Academy Award nominated song, "Happy" by Pharell Williams. I am being a little facetious here, but I absolutely hate that song. It drives me crazy because it's such a stupid, idiotic song. Of course, the song had to be in this movie. It really bothers me. So, that's another strike against this film.

I admit that I'm totally in the minority here because most people seem to like these movies. It blows my mind that this movie made over $368 million at the domestic box office. It was the fourth highest grossing film of 2013. How is that even possible? The characters are weak and the story was average. It must be that kids just love the minions so much (and that cute little girl, Agnes). I don't have anything else to say about that.

Look, I'm not a hater for no reason. I actually admit that this film is slightly better than the first film. Now, that doesn't mean this is a good movie- because it really isn't. It is an average animated film with a lackluster story. In any 98 minute film, there will definitely be a few good moments. However, the movie as a whole just has too many flaws. With as much money as this film made, I'm sure we will be seeing a third film in a few years. Even though this movie was better, I'd really rather not watch this trilogy get rounded out.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Despicable Me, Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon, Ice Age