Review: Despicable Me

The cutesy trailers and clips being used to promote Despicable Me would have you believe this is a movie strictly for kids. In reality it’s a movie aimed at adults that kids will love if they can get past a few downright evil and disturbing scenes (such as orphans being put into a “shame box”).

Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is considered to be the world’s most evil villain. He’s so evil he pops balloons in the faces of children, skips the line at the coffee shop by freezing the people in front of him using an ice gun, and pretends to not be home when three orphan girls try to sell him cookies. He also lives in a very Addams Family-esque house in the middle of suburbia and has mother issues.

When Vector (voiced by Jason Segel), another evil villain, steals the Great Pyramid of Giza and replaces it with an inflatable replica, Gru’s title of “most evil” is stripped. This sets into action a master plan by Gru and his assistant Dr. Nefario (voiced by Russell Brand) to shrink and steal the moon (yes, the moon). It’s a big task and Gru must enlist his team of little yellow Minion helpers and adopt three orphan girls in order to help him acquire the shrink ray gun that Vector stole from him. The girls eventually get to Gru and soon he finds himself taking them to dance recitals, making them pancakes for breakfast, and having fun playing daddy.

I admit it took a little time before I connected with Despicable Me. It could have been the 3-D that threw me off or the fact that the security in the theatre was distracting (they were walking around looking for cell phone offenders). When I did connect it was so fun and full of heart it was hard to look away and by the end I had fully fallen in love with it. The characters work, the comedy elements are hilarious, the voice cast is great (which also includes Kristen Wiig, Julie Andrews, and Will Arnett), and the Minions, the true highlight of the film, will be remembered for years to come. Plus the animation is gorgeous, even comparable to the gold standard of Pixar.

The only downside to Despicable Me was the 3-D which muddled the colours and dimmed the image as most 3-D films do. Besides the brilliant use of it during the end credits, which you need to stay for, and a great roller-coaster scene, I feel it would have been even more enjoyable if I watched it in 2-D.

While parents should be warned that younger kids might be scared by a few scenes, Despicable Me is still one of the better films this summer and one the whole family will enjoy.

**** out of 5 stars

Rated PG
Cast: Steve Carell, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Russell Brand
Directed by: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud
Official Site IMDb

brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com

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Top image: A scene from Despicable Me. Courtesy Universal Pictures.