Sequels are usually not equals of the first go around with a particular kind of movie, but sometimes you get a surprise. Despicable Me 2 is not as original as the first film of the series, but it is just as much fun, and just as lovable. Gru, no longer a villain, now runs a jam making company. But alas, the jam is not very good, and his right hand man (played by Russell Brand) Dr. Nefario is tired of not doing any devilish deeds.
While the film is austensibly about finding a new villain who threatens to take over the world, what it is mostly about is Gru’s relationship with his three girls. The one really new element in the story is the introduction of Lucy (played fetchingly by Kristen Wilg) who is an agent of AVL— the anti-villain league. Lucy, as it turns out, enlists Gru to help AVL find this meglo-maniac villain, who runs things—- from a shopping mall of course. The minions are of course the scene stealers they were in the first film as well, and there are plenty of funny lines and sight gags as well. While Gru is no longer despicable, but he is still recognizably all ‘me’ though he is growing a few self-sacrificial bones in his body due to his girls.
If you are looking for the best, and funniest, children’s movie of the summer, this is the one. The regret is, it only lasts one hour and 38 minutes. While the plot is not the best, the characters and the humor carry the load for this film which make it very enjoyable. I haven’t laughed that much in a while. It’s family friendly, and rightly deserves to be preferred over Monsters University.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In