Sure, Vector has better technology and is computer game savvy, but Gru has his faithful Dr. Nefario and an army of little yellow creatures called minions behind him.
The Game of Stealing National Monuments
According to the Miriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of despicable is "so worthless or obnoxious as to rouse moral indignation". Sure, Gru's mom finds him a worthless villain as he can't manage to steal any large national treasures such as an Egyptian pyramid, so Gru picks on little kids, but Gru is hardly evil through and through.
A Sweet and Silly Film
He adopts three orphaned girls to help him execute his plan, but as annoying to him as they are cute, they melt his hardened heart. Spunky and curious, the three little girls provide no surprise there.
Technically, this computer graphic composed film could be called sweet due to Gru's predictable character arc. The army of minions with their own language and silly antics contribute to the fun.
Voices by Steve Carell, Jason Segal, Julie Andrews and Russell Brand
Besides Steve Carell (The Office, Date Night and the upcoming Dinner for Schmucks), there are other recognizable voices. Jason Segal of How I Met Your Mother and Forgetting Sarah Marshall fame is Gnu's nemesis, Vector. Also in the cast from Forgetting Sarah Marshall is Russell Brand, who voices Dr. Nefario. Julie Andrews is Gru's condescending mother (Sound of Music and Mary Poppins).
Gru, though, resembles a caricature of the late great director, Alfred Hitchcock (The Birds, North by Northwest).
A Movie for Kids
Although rated PG for some potty humor and some physical violence. (No cartoon characters are killed in this movie and no animals are harmed.) There are no swashbuckling or laborious fight scenes. Instead, there is snappy punch-them-out humor galore that appeals to the younger crowd.
3-D Not Necessary
To see this in 3-D may enhance the experience but it isn't necessary. It may actually detract from the embedded jokes in the film that only adults understand. These warrant a chuckle or two.
A Family Film
Despicable Me's movie trailer has been showing in theatres for months and now has finally hit the big screen. Pitting the lazy Vector with his video game approach to evil against Dr. Gru's older technology, the audience can only root for Gru and that soft spot in his heart.
In addition to its kid-oriented cartoonish humor, listening to the laughter of youngsters in the theater is another bonus. Grab the kids and head there. The movie was worth the wait.
Candice Kramer - As a content creator, Candee has investigated various forms of writing resulting in two feature length scripts. One, a comedy, placed in ...
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