Despicable Me 2 (PG)
12/03/14 22:36 Filed in: 2013
Starring: Steve Carell
July 2013
This review was originally tweeted in Real-time from the back row of a movie theater and appears @BackRoweReviews. Though efforts were made to tease rather than ruin this movie’s memorable lines and moments, some spoilers may exist in the following evaluation. The original tweets appear in black, while follow-up comments appear in red. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. All ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!
Horseshoe-shaped super magnet appears in the Arctic. A slick sci-fi teaser.
In a jam, Gru considers a new profession.
But before he can make that decision, he lands in a sticky situation. C’mon, that’s better than half the lines in the movie.
The last thing I wanted to see in this family film was a minion in the buff. Eww.
Bad date leads to a better prospect.
Chip hat...fashionable and delectable.
But how often do you need to purchase a new one?
Shouldn’t the mutant minions be able to chew through the cages?
A bit of a spoiler, but a question that exposes this contrived plot point.
Minion mock music videos are exceedingly silly.
But it made the kids laugh, so mission accomplished I suppose.
Final analysis: too many pratfalls by minions and too shallow a plot to be fully enjoyed.
All of the best scenes were spoiled in the trailer.
Too much time was spent in the mall, which is a hackneyed locus for action.
Rating: 2 out of 4 stars. Unremarkable sequel lacks the heart of the original. A Gru-some experience.
With the runaway success of the first film, it was a foregone conclusion that a Despicable sequel would ensue. That effort ended up being pretty safe by trying to turn former super villain Gru into a nice guy (which is far less compelling), adding a possible love interest for Gru (contrived and mushy for a kiddy pic) and amping up the minion mischief (a gimmick to garner more laughs from the target audience). Those preteen spectators won’t notice the decline in story quality, but everyone else in the audience will chalk this one up as mildly disappointing. And annoying: bee-doh, bee-doh, bee-doh…