A perfect example of what not to do with a sequel, but still half enjoyable.

Rating: 5/10 (19 July 2014)

I really enjoyed the original film but had serious doubts that they could do much with a sequel. However, the trailer made me quite hopeful so I actually walked into this film with high expectations.
But within minutes it was obvious that this film was falling into all the obvious traps for bad sequels. In the opening party scene it was clear that these were not the same characters from the original but just caricatures of them.
Why did they have to make Gru such an incompetent idiot this time around? Makes it hard to root for him. The introduction of Lucy, as a potential love interest, could've added a lot to the story if they had not made her so irritating. Instead, she is just an annoyance.
The only bright spot for much of the film would be the minions, though even they wear out their welcome in a prolonged musical interlude towards the end.
The action climax is so good that it almost allows you to ignore the rest of the film's flaws but in the end I am left imagining the great film that this could've been if the story had received even a fraction of the imagination that went into the visuals.