DESPICABLE ME 2

2013, Universal Pictures

Animated

Rating: PG

Approx. 98 mins.

THE STORY:

Gru, the reformed bad-guy from Despicable Me is back with his three adopted daughters and sharp attitude. He is kidnapped from his life of devoted parenting and jam-producing by Lucy (Kristen Wiig), an agent from the Anti-villain League. The League needs Gru's help to identify the mysterious super-villain responsible for stealing a secret formula which turns the most gentle of creatures into vicious monsters. 

Gru is quick to identify the culprit, but his mission is complicated by the fact that his suspect is supposedly dead. His focus is also compromised by his romantic feelings for Lucy and the protective-father instincts that arise when his suspect's son starts to make moves on Gru's oldest daughter. Ultimately, his intellect and new-found romantic inclinations allow him catch the bad guy and win the girl.  

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• Stupid
• Idiot
• Fat

VIOLENCE:

• Some scenes of peril
• Hitting

TEACHING POINTS:

• New feelings can be scary, but can also lead to great happiness.
• You can't get what you want unless you tell people what you want.

THE UPSHOT:

I cannot recommend this movie highly enough. It is as good as, if not better than, the original. It is technically stylish, excellently scripted, generally well-crafted.  I enjoyed this film more than I have enjoyed any film-- adult or children's-- for a while. The story is clever, suspenseful, well-voiced and absolutely hilarious. The adults and the 4 year-old watching laughed from beginning to end.

If I had to find a negative, it would be that I wished Gru's mother had been featured more. I liked the mother-son dynamic from the original Despicable Me, and think there was room for some humorous exchanges related to the developments in Gru's romantic life.   

Also, this is literally the first time I have seen a 3D movie and thought it was worth it. A word to the wise: stay for the ending credits/ minions mini-movie. 

Enjoy.

5/5