An incredibly passive experience that's serviceable but nothing more.

Rating: 5/10 (3 May 2018)

'Despicable Me (2010)' is one of the most passive cinematic experiences I've had in a long time, with the franchise bleeding into itself to the point where it's genuinely difficult to tell which of the various 'bits' come from which of the three films. It's this lack of engagement that kills any real enjoyment, let alone emotional attachment, that could be found here. On the positive side, there are a few jokes that successfully land even though the humour is generally quite broad. There's also something to be said for the relatively believable and complete central character arc. Plus, the feature is generally well-made, even though it looks cheaper than most animated fare from the time. Some things are still just off, though, like how the feature struggles to establish spatial orientation or how the primary relationship wildly fluctuates from scene to scene, almost to the point where it feels like some sequences have been shifted retroactively. This is frustrating and makes it hard to become invested in its evolution, and the evolution of the relationship really is the cornerstone of the entire piece. Additionally, you can't forget that this is the feature that birthed the endlessly annoying pop-culture phenomenon that are the 'minions', so perhaps it can't be forgiven for that. 5/10