Despicable in the Wrong Ways

Rating: 5/10 (15 July 2013)

5.4 of 10 vs. 8.25 for the first. Sadly, like the spy hero gadget-tech films it's intended to satirize, this is little more than a spy gadget film. Unlike the first, this gets tiresome and even boring. They really seem to be forcing ideas and plot developments. It's still relatively entertaining, but nowhere near the story depth and inventiveness of the first.
Original and sequel both borrow a lot from other cartoons in terms of the look and characters, so the story is the key to making it into something more than a bunch of cartoon images and quirky sounds/images. Quirkiness alone can work for up to a half hour, but definitely not beyond 60 minutes.
Stick with the first or the more recent Wreck It Ralph (2012) if you're feeling like a villain. As fun as genetically modified minions might seem, they aren't worthy of a theater trip.