Delightful Me Too

Rating: Null/10 (15 March 2014)

This film is recommended.
Minions everywhere, rejoice! Reformed evil mastermind Gru (Steve Carell) is now out of the spy business. Gru is content to while away the hours with as a typical family man with his three adopted orphans at his side. That is, until he is pulled back into the world of espionage by Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wigg), in Despicable Me 2, the popular sequel to this entertaining franchise.
This time, Gru's mission is to stop another evil mastermind, El Macho (Benjamin Bratt) who is hatching a grand scheme of world dominance using the comical minions as his prey.
This film is more of the same childish shenanigans as the first. It follows its tried-and-true formula without much re-direction into its own inventiveness. But what this sequel has that the original lacked is a stronger screenplay with sly humor, better developed characters, and sight gags that are very funny. Directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud create an off- kilter world that winningly pokes fun at the spy genre and make the film very family-friendly for any age demographics.
The computer animation is top notch with brilliant colors and strong details. Voiceovers by Carell, Wigg, and Bratt make their characters come to life, as do the fine support by Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Elsie Fisher, Dana Gaier, and both directors who create the Minion- speak language throughout the film. The exaggerated characters, their subtle expressions, and the inspired farcical movement add to the festivities. One can't help but delight in the mindless antics and slapstick, especially whenever the Minions are on screen. They upstage everyone in the movie and are given more screen time in this film, a wise decision. Their vocal mash-ups and visual traits are the perfect antidote to chasing the blues (or purples) away.
Despicable Me 2 is fun from the start to finish. GRADE: B
Visit my blog at: www.dearmoviegoer.com
ANY COMMENTS: Please contact me at: jadepietro@rcn.com