Throwback Thursday Review: 'Despicable Me 2'

Sorry for the delay but I put this review on the back burner in order to publish my early thoughts on Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, this week I'm reviewing Despicable Me 2 to coincide with the release of Despicable Me 3. Next week I'll be finishing out my Spider-Man reviews with a Throwback Thursday Review of The Amazing Spider-Man and Recollection Reflection Review of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Reviews that will appear throughout July include Throwback Thursday Reviews for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Inception, and Shaun of the Dead, a Triple-R Review over Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and reviews of new releases War for the Planet of the Apes, Dunkirk, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, The Emoji Movie, and Atomic Blonde.

'Despicable Me 2' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song "Happy" (written by Pharrell Williams).

In Despicable Me 2, Gru has grown accustomed to his transition from dishonorable baddie to adoptive dad when he's approached by the Anti-Villain League to help bring down a mysterious, malevolent force. Gru then teams up with adept agent Lucy Wilde to go undercover and ascertain the identity of the heinous wrongdoer behind it all.

Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud reprise their respective roles as co-directors of the sequel, which is also penned by returning writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. Paul and Daurio escalate their parody to the realm of secret spies and dating in addition to furthering their entertaining examination of parenting. The duo ensure the script feels familiar to the first with habitual heart and humor that made the precursor successful in the first place. 

The comedy's certainly catered towards children as the Minions are bestowed a raised profile before their Minions movie. If you're entertained by these yellow creatures, then you'll get your fill of their shenanigans and they do actually have a more poignant purpose this time around. Elsewhere, the animation's an improvement over the original due to a bigger budget and progression of technology but Illumination's renderings don't compare to Disney or Pixar's masterful work. The storytelling's substandard with accustomed aspects all around the animated field but there's enough sentiment for Despicable Me 2 to coast off.

Steve Carell lends an outrageous, over-the-top goofiness and a does of sentiment to Gru that sticks the landing while Kristen Wiig joins the fun as the loopy Lucy Wilde. Her dynamic opposite Carell remains one of Despicable Me 2's prime points as the two extrapolate an oddly entertaining pairing.

Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie Fisher all reprise their roles as Margo, Edith, and Agnes embodying the endearing attitudes that made them memorable in the first place. The sisters consistently and convincingly portray the encapsulating attributes of children that in-turn enables the sentiment of the story. 

Meanwhile, Benjamin Bratt hams it up as the insanely masculine El Macho but doesn't bring much to the character aside from an eccentric personality. Russell Brand's elderly Dr. Nefario also isn't ingrained too deeply in the script but has a few memorable moments to shine.

 

In summary, Despicable Me 2 is almost equally endearing as Despicable Me but it never quite reaches the endearing elements of the original. The story's sweet, the characters are charming, and the jokes land but there's not really a purpose to the madness other than furthering the franchise.

Film Assessment: B-