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Despicable Me 2 - Movie Review

3 stars

Where to go and what to do with the sequel of a movie that got its traction from an evil villain turned into lovable hero? That’s the ultimate challenge faced by the makers of Despicable Me 2 which picks up where the original left off - with former(?) super-villain Gru (Steve Carell), tending to his three adorable adopted girls. Where does black-hearted Gru go now that we know he is capable of becoming a good father and leaving the exciting world of villainy behind? Where do the filmmakers go now that they’ve painted themselves into a proverbial storytelling corner? Minions. Yes, more minions.

And that’s exactly what we get for a large part of the film’s next 90 or so minutes - a return to the sugar-coated silliness of the cute and cuddly yellow minion characters who keep the audience in stitches with their scene-stealing mischief and giddy mayhem. In most cases, such a flagrant storytelling cover-up would be a major filmmaking no-no, but the little guys are just so darn cute they deserve every minute of precious screen time.

That’s not to say, however, writers Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul don’t give a valiant go at creating a heartfelt story as the film’s central playground. It’s just that the story they tell this time around is surprisingly chaotic and disjointed with long stretches of yawn-inducing life lessons in the middle. It’s clearly just a cover for the numerous opportunities to have fun and make people laugh and giggle when the minions come back on the screen. And the few heart-touching human moments scattered throughout are greatly appreciated as well, including one Gru shares with his young adopted daughter Agnes (Elsie Fisher), as she lovingly describes imagining his bald head as an egg with a chick popping out.

In Despicable Me 2, we see what the post-villainy life is like for Gru and the girls. He’s figured out how to support his new family by starting a cottage industry in his laboratory. He’s retrofitted the lab to makes jellies and jams.

But Gru jumps on the opportunity to get back in the super-spy game when Anti-Villain League (AVL) representative Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) comes calling. She works for AVL Chief Ramsbottom (imagine the fun to be had with that name by the Munchkin-speaking minions) who recruits Lucy and Gru to go undercover with hopes of rooting out the source of a purple monster-making serum that poses a serious threat to world peace.

The trail of suspicion leads to a local mall where things become quite complicated as Gru and Lucy stage their operation from a cupcake store while spying on their prime suspects who include Eduardo (Benjamin Bratt), whose secret identity may be the most ruthless, dangerous macho villain there ever was, and shopkeeper Floyd (Ken Jeong) who may have a very dark side. This is the potty-break point for the kiddos in the audience as the story seriously sags in this middle portion and may be a bit overly complicated and sometimes too scary for the younger tots. But thankfully, we know things will get back on track just as soon as the minions hit the screen again.

The lovable little buggers are slated to get their own movie next year, but as with most things Hollywood does these days, the result will likely be too much of a good thing and a huge buzz kill to the current minion high. But until then, there’s Despicable Me 2 that - while not as good as the highly original first movie - seems to have found an entertaining balance of genuine human emotion and witty minion magic.[/tab]

[tab title="Film Details"]

Despicable Me 2 - Movie ReviewMPAA Rating: PG for rude humor and mild action.
Runtime:
98 mins.
Director
: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Writer: Ken Daurio, Cinco Paul
Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt
Genre: Family | Comedy
Tagline:
More minions. More despicable.
Memorable Movie Quote: "I eat instead of facing my problems!"
Distributor:
Universal Pictures
Official Site:
http://despicableme.com/
Release Date: July 3, 2013
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
December 10, 2013.

Synopsis: Gru, the girls, Dr. Nefario and the unpredictably hilarious minions return, along with a host of new characters.[/tab]

[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Despicable Me 2 - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - December 10, 2013
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit); French: DTS 5.1; Spanish: DTS 5.1
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD); UV digital copy; iTunes digital copy; DVD copy
Region Encoding: A

Universal Studios’ Despicable Me 2 boats one of the very best 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 digitally animated transfers that I’ve ever seen. The colors are bright and cheerful throughout and the details are rich.  Also incredible are all the noticeable textures.  Individual bumps and textures to the minions and their tongues and their clothing.  Even the grass has texture.   The black levels are deep and inky.  The 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio track is well balanced and accurate.  It keeps everything in its proper place. Dialogue is clean and clear without any distortions or being out of balance with the effects.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • There is a feature commentary with Directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin which explains the process of creating an animated film and the successfully building upon the original hit film.  They also discuss the production, characters, cast and animation.

Special Features:

Universal Studios Home Entertainment brings Despicable Me 2 to Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack with an UltraViolet Digital Copy.  The blu-ray combo pack comes with some great new material, like the mini movies starring the minions and the gru-some transformation behind the scenes. The crisp visuals look even better on blu-ray, making sure you see every hilarious moment in perfect high definition. Even though the movie isn't quite as overwhelmingly charming as the first, it has a lot to offer in terms of great jokes, characters and visuals. If you're a fan of the first film, then taking home Despicable Me 2 is worth more than your time and is guaranteed fun for a family movie night this holiday season!

  • 3 New Mini-Movies: "Puppy" (5 min), "Panic in the Mailroom" (5 min) and "Training Wheels" (5 min)
  • Making of the Mini-Movies (6 min)
  • Deleted Scene (1 min)
  • The Minions (3 min)
  • Evil Minions (4 min)
  • A Gru-Some Transformation (5 min)
  • El Hombre Malo: The Villainy of El Macho (4 min)
  • Gru's Girls (6 min)
  • Gadget's Galore (4 min)

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