The Despicable Me franchise lands its second outing on both light-weight feet.

Rating: 6/10 (13 December 2013)

The Despicable Me franchise may not be necessarily better than Disney, Pixar or Dreamworks, but it certainly has a breezy quality to it that's refreshing to see. I really enjoyed the first film for light entertainment. While it has the standard something-for-kids and something-for- adults, its charm comes from really not taking itself seriously as it could almost be an update of the absurd Looney Toons cartoons but still having a small gut punch of emotion. The first film hit with the bonding of the three girls and Gru, this film is about the one gap left in their unconventional family - the mother and wife. This new addition, Lucy, unfortunately feels more like the grating Kristen Schaal than the frequently endearing Kristen Wiig. They force the quirkiness on her character and it's incredibly irritating. As much as I want to see Gru find a partner and the girls find a mother figure, the way they had everyone, even minion, adore her unconditionally backfired entirely. However, she doesn't drag the film down that much. Everything else is on top form, perhaps even better than the first film. While it's nice to have such an unlikely likable and resourceful protagonist in Gru, the series does seem to suffer from its lack of antagonist forces as the film glides through the narrative with ease. But then, this isn't supposed to be heavyweight stuff like Pixar.
6/10