Despicable Me 2 Review

I'm finally continuing my reviews of 2013's summer movies. My next review is for the sequel to the animated hit Despicable Me.

I loved the original. In fact, it is one of my favorite animated movies. I just thought it was non-stop funny, and had true heart. So, I had high hopes for Despicable Me 2. And, for the most part, it delivered much of what I loved about its predecessor.

Steve Carell returns as the main character Gru, and he is as funny as ever. I still find Gru to be such a lovable character. The minions have a much larger role in this one than they did in the first. While in the original, they were mainly there for occasional slapstick gags, the writers broadened their jokes in the sequel, and even humanized them a little. I liked how they handled the minions.

The story is sufficient for an animated film such as this. It isn't difficult for children to follow and it still keeps the adults of the audience in mind. That is something I thought the first did very successfully. It kept all demographics entertained. Despicable Me 2 was largely the same.

Where this movie falters is when it turns into a full-blown love story. This occurs approximately midway through the film, and it hits like a hurricane. The love story between Gru and the main female character is neither interesting, nor all that developed. It was forced into the narrative, perhaps as an attempt to grasp the attention of the older audiences. However, it was unnecessary. As I said before, it is already entertainment for adults and kids. I was not a fan of it at all, and would have enjoyed the movie much more had it been omitted.

Conclusion

Despicable Me 2 is a solid sequel that features plenty of the humor and heart that the original supplied. It's not as fresh or as spotless as its predecessor, but it was still an entertaining animated film for all ages.

Rating: 7/10

Age Suggestion: All ages suitable