The formula didn't really work this time!

Rating: 6/10 (23 June 2013)

As I write this Despicable Me 2 sits with a score of 8.1 on IMDb, an unnaturally high score in my opinion due to the 'recency effect' surrounding the hype and excitement surrounding its release. I saw the first screening today in my local cinema and took the opportunity to see it in 3D. I loved the first movie, it was an amazing movie with a big heart that worked both for kids and adults alike. I think the makers sat and made a list of all the things people liked from the first movie and the list probably looked something like this...
1. Minions- lets have more minions. 2. Agnes- more shouting, he's so fluffy, or words to that effect. 3. Gru's stubborn resistance to opening up his heart. Already for the kids so how do we fit that part of the formula in? 4. Gru's moment of resolve when nothing can stop him.
The problem as with many animated movies is that the storyline was incredibly weak, yes all those things listed were cute but the first movies greatness came off the back of a great storyline. The storyline in this movie was so thin that I found myself having spells of 10 minutes or so throughout the film where I was completely disengaged. Lets also not forget how great the soundtrack was for the first movie and there was no real attempt to better or even match that, in fact they used much of the same soundtrack from Pharrell Williams. Sure there were occasional nice moments throughout because the characters are great but I'm disappointed that they didn't continue the franchise with a equally strong storyline. I predict that the score for DM2 will level off to about 6.5 and on the strength of this movie I'll happily watch DM3 but I won't be rushing to the cinema to see it. As I was leaving I caught a guy saying that the best thing about the movie was the 3D bubbles that came out the screen during the credits. I suspect the gimmicks will be remembered long after the plot which was instantly forgettable.