Ever since the teaser for Despicable Me 2 came out more than a year ago, I have been dying to watch the animated sequel. The movie officially came out in the Philippines last July 3, 2013 and I decided to watch with my friends a few days after. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what I expected. Not bad per se, but not great either.
The first movie, Despicable Me, came out in 2010 and the main focus of the film was how Gru, from a villain, turned into a good guy and a great father figure to the three orphans he adopted. The ending made me cry. I was hoping that in the sequel, we get to see more of this interesting dynamic being developed. There were certain parts in the movie which satisfied that craving but I felt that it was still lacking.
New characters were also introduced in the film. Lucy is an agent that works for the Anti-Villain League, also plays the role of Gru’s love interest and mother for the girls. Eduardo and his son, Antonio, own a Mexican restaurant in the mall Lucy and Gru investigate in. Antonio also plays Margo’s love interest in the film. I can’t blame Margo though because Antonio really is a good looking character, even when he’s animated.
Speaking of animation, Illumination Entertainment did a great job on making the movie. There are more details and life added to the film, compared to the last one. The colors pop out more and the imagery is more vivid. It was perfect for 3D viewing with the scenes popping right in front of you.
The voice acting was excellent as well. Steve Carrell, Russel Brand, Miranda Cosgrove and others return to voice their characters. Kristen Wiig, who also lent her voice to the first movie, plays a bigger role as Lucy. Al Pacino was supposed to voice Eduardo but due to conflicting ideas, he quit. He was replaced by Benjamin Bratt, who I believed still did a good job.
It is in the story that the movie is made weak. I feel like it wasn’t well thought out. It was cliche and very predictable. Everything was moving at a slow pace and yet it still felt rushed. The big resolution of the film, when the bad guy was identified, was kind of a letdown as well.
Another thing is that half of the film were just made up of scenes about the minions where most of the jokes of the movie come from. While those scenes were in fact the funniest, it seemed like most of them were just added even if they didn’t help in telling the main story. I love the minions but I can only stand them so much.
That’s not to say the movie isn’t worth watching. My friends and I enjoyed it, that’s for sure. I laughed a lot throughout the movie but if you’re looking for a film with more character development and stronger plot lines, this probably isn’t the movie for you. Adults and kids will enjoy it but it still doesn’t compare to its predecessor. It’s a 7/10 in my books.
Sources:
Blogging a Movie Near You 
I have not watched this film yet, but I have heard some good things about it, though people say it is very predictable. Great review