Hey, everyone. I’m back with a new movie review. It’s a movie now in theaters, and a sequel that’s already out done it’s predecessor, the movie about a supervillain who becomes a super anti-hero and a superdad. That’s right, I mean:
Despicable Me 2! That’s right, Gru is back! Now here is the plot in brief:
Set some time after the events of the first film, Felonious Gru has retired from villainy and settled down with a life as a legit businessman and devoted father to Margo, Edith, and Agnes. While he enjoys his new life, with the girls, (and his minions), he is facing several obstacles: his longtime friend and partner-in-crime Dr. Nefario,, missing his old life of crime, has chosen to take new employment elsewhere, his business of selling delicious jellies and jams isn’t going very well, his overzealous neighbor Jillian keeps trying to set him up with dates even though he says he has no interest in hitting the dating circuit, and he’s having to deal with Margo, who is hitting that certain age of liking boys.
So imagine his shock when one day he’s whisked away by the Anti-Villain League (AVL), who need his help to investigate the theft of a secret laboratory near the Arctic Circle stolen by a mysterious vehicle shaped like a giant magnet. Together with the quirky but competent agent Lucy Wilde, Gru must investigate store owners of a shopping mall (one of who bears resemblance to a long presumed dead villain and who’s son Margo falls for) and find a mutating chemical compound developed at the stolen lab, PX-41, which transforms living things into indestructible killing machines, before the villain can use it to take over the world.
The animation for this film is even more superb than the first film. There are several explosions, crashes and water scenes that are perfectly-executed CGI, and while the first film offered up its hero and villain on a silver platter, the sequel actually provides a bit of intrigue, as well as several one-liners sure to go over the heads of kids but which adults will find amusing.
The story also provides much to talk about. While the first film involved Gru trying to stay top dog in the villain world, and meeting the girls, this film shows him discovering and adjusting to new areas as a parent, as well as him getting into the hero, or rather anti-villain biz, and him finding a wife for himself and a mom for his daughters. While the story does get a little predictable, it nonetheless is still entertaining for people of all ages. Plus, again there’s plenty of side comedy with Gru’s minions, who seem to be getting abducted one by one by an unseen force connected to the villain of the film.
Now for the characters and voice actors. I have to say though all of the actors, new and returning do a spectacular job in the film.
Steve Carrell returns as Felonious Gru. Since the end of the first film, he has retired from villainy to become a devoted dad to his three girls. So devoted, in fact that he poses as entertainment for Agnes’s 6th birthday party, when the original entertainer cancels. He also attempts to start a new business of manufacturing delicious jellies and jams. When that doesn’t go over too well and after his old partner-in-crime departs for new employment, he takes work with the Anti-Villain League (AVL) in tracking down a villian. In addition, he struggles to deal with getting into dating and love for the first time, and even enters into overprotective dad mode with Margo when she shows interest in the opposite sex.
Miranda Cosgrove, Elsie Kate Fisher and Dana Gaier all return as Gru’s daughters Margo, Edith, and Agnes. Margo gets the most development of all the girls; since the first film, she has reached that time where she shows interest in boys, much to Gru’s dismay. Midway through the film, she falls for the handsome and charming Antonio, who happens to be the son of the main antagonist. They seem to have a great time throughout the film, in spite of Gru’s overprotectiveness. However, their relationship ends after he cheats with another girl at a party, breaking her heart.
Edith has moderate character development in the film; since the first film, she has apparently taken some sort of training agile, and proficient with many weapons and fighting techniques, including the katana and nunchaku (all of which she showed interest in in the first film). She also harbors disgust at boys and love, though she does ask about Gru dating early on.
Agnes has moderate development as well; while still the same little pumpkin she was in the first film, she’s become even more intelligent and insightful, such as when she figures Gru dressed up as the fairy princess to appease her, when she asks Lucy if she’s single, and when she comforts Gru over his feelings for her.
Also returning is Russell Brand as Gru’s right hand man, Dr. Nefario. Since the first film, he has tried to remain loyal to Gru, but finds himself missing his life of evil and making gadgets, and soon leaves for new employment, much to everyone’s dismay. He later returns to assist Gru in the final battle against the villain.
Kristen Wiig also returns, but not as the evil orphanage director Ms. Hattie. Instead, this time she portrays the perky, but alert and competent AVL agent Lucy Wilde. She whisks Gru away to AVL HQ to help with their current case and they are assigned as partners. Throughout the film they slowly begin to take a liking to each other as partners and more. Such as when Lucy saves Gru from a bad date and he saves her from the villain at the end. And she and the girls take a liking to each other as well, with Agnes even asking if she’s single. By the end of the film after 147 dates the two wind up married, finally giving Gru a wife and the girls a mom.
Benjamin Bratt voices Eduardo, aka El Macho, the “Big Bad” of the film and a famous super-villain who faked his death many years earlier, and is now trying to make a comeback with the stolen PX-41 to create an army of indestructible creatures to take over the world. According to Gru, he is ruthless, dangerous, and as the El Macho name implies, “very macho”. However he does seem to be a good dad to his son, Antonio, who might have been the reason he left the life of crime in the first place (similar to Gru with the girls). He is also the owner of a Mexican restaurant called Salsa & Salsa in the Paradise Mall.
Moisés Arias voices Antonio, Eduardo’s son and Margo’s love interest. He’s smooth, charming, handsome, and possibly a bit lazy, due to his dream of playing video games for a living. He might be a little bit sassy, especially towards Gru. Margo meets him at the Paradise Mall and immediately falls for him. Throughout the film, his charm swoons her and irritates, Gru, who tries to keep them apart, to no avail. However, as everyone knows, most charmers like him can’t stay tied down to just one girl, and at his family’s Cinco de Mayo party, after some time dancing with Margo, he spots another prettier girl and spurns Margo for her on the dance floor, breaking Margo’s heart. When Gru discovers this, he angrily freezes him with a freeze ray in retaliation. Antonio is not seen again after this and his ultimate fate is unknown.
Overall, this sequel has surpassed the original in terms of well everything. The plot is superb, the love stories between Gru and Lucy, and Antonio and Margo are so well played out, and the animation is top notch. In all, I give Despicable Me 2 a 10/10 and recommend extremely to SEE IT!
