Hilarious As Hell But Also Emotionally Hollow

Rating: Null/10 (10 July 2015)

Hilarious as hell thanks to total Minion madness, but also completely hollow at its core due to the absence of the very ingredient that made its predecessor an unexpected success of its year, Despicable Me 2 is an unabashedly funny ride when the screen is occupied by the little yellow henchmen but apart from that, everything about this sequel is a step down.
The follow-up to Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2 continues the journey of Gru as the ex- supervillain finds himself adjusting to a normal family life with his three daughters & is also attempting an honest living in the jam business. But when he is recruited by the Anti-Villain League for assistance in their latest investigation, his prime suspect turns out to be a legendary supervillain, presumed dead long ago.
Co-directed by Pierre Coffin & Chris Renault, Despicable Me 2 features an action-packed plot, more characters & major upgrades in minions screen time but it still ends up finishing as an inferior sequel for the charm, freshness & heart of the original is sorely missing. Even its attempt at humour feels forced at times, the plot follows a generic route & the new voice cast don't bring any sort of novelty to their characters either.
The technical aspects are pretty much the same as the original. Cinematography adds more colours to its palette, Editing could've used a little more trimming for there are scenes that don't contribute to its story at all, background score has the feel of the original, and the 3D animation also offers a slight improvement over its predecessor. But its writers are always trying to conceal its paper-thin plot by sugarcoating it with more minion segments.
It's in the moments without the minions where the film's shortcomings are clearly exposed. Gru's arc is demoted from a cool supervillain to a boring hero although Steve Carell does chip in with another impressive work. However Gru's three daughters are sidelined for the most part. The minions once again steal the show effortlessly with their slapstick antics & hilarious impressions and it's only because of them that the film isn't a chore to sit through.
On an overall scale, Despicable Me 2 is a passable sequel to Despicable Me that may lack the heartfelt emotions of its predecessor but makes up for it with its roller-coaster minions madness. A delightful, light-hearted & crazy fun ride for viewers of all ages, this follow-up chapter will manage to leave most families satisfied but for those who were looking forward to something more than the usual minion mischief are bound to leave with a slight feeling of incompleteness.