I am not sure if you are anything like me, but I have been eagerly anticipating the next instalment from Gru, the girls and the minions in Despicable Me 2. If you haven’t seen the first film (Despicable Me), the basic storyline of this comedy is that a scarf-wearing criminal mastermind, called Felonius Gru, plans to steal the moon with the help of his minions, but is forced to adopt three orphan girls in order to complete this evil scheme. Unfortunately for Gru, he becomes more attached to the girls than he planned and their influence eventually leads to him (somewhat) changing his evil ways.

 

So, it was a rainy day and my friends and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to be indoors at our local Odeon. I never mind paying cinema prices because I love the excitement and the atmosphere that the experience brings. As I gingerly sat down in my seat, arms laden with a large drink, large popcorn and nachos, which are a must for any cinema trip, I began to get even more excited.

 

Without giving too much away, the plot of the second film involves Gru being recruited by the Anti-Villain League who require his particular expertise to track down and stop a new super villain, who has been kidnapping minions, from taking over the world as we know it. To complete his mission, Gru has to go undercover as a cupcake maker in the Paradise Mall to investigate the shop proprietors to find out which one of them is the mysterious criminal genius. Obviously, there is a great deal of minion action, as with the first film, but this time round there is a love interest for Gru in the character of Agent Lucy Wilde. Can Gru stop the bad guy, save the world and get the girl? Or will he be enticed back to his evil ways? I’m not going to give anything away here, but I can tell you that the action will keep you on the edge of your seat.

 

The cast includes; Steve Carell (Gru), Kristen Wing (Agent Wilde), Benjamin Bratt (El Macho), Steve Coogan (Silas Ramsbottom), and Russell Brand (Dr. Nefario), to name but a few. Steve Carell has recently shot up the celebrity ranks being in such films as Anchorman, The 40 Year-Old Virgin, and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, as well as becoming most famous for his role of Michael Scott in the American version of The Office.   

 

Despicable Me 2 is rated “U” but is fun for all manner of viewers. The film is a mixture of overt humour aimed at a younger audience as well as more subtle comedy and innuendo that the older audience can enjoy. Steve Carell is sometimes outshone by the minions and their antics but, for me, both films would not be half as funny without these yellow strange-sounding, slapstick sidekicks. There are many hilarious and laugh-out-loud moments in the film that have made it a worthwhile sequel.

 

This has been one of my absolute favourite films of 2013 so far and I am more than happy to hear that they are gearing up for a further sequel, currently entitled Minions, which will be released in July 2015. To any fans of the first Despicable Me film, or comedy animation in general, I would definitely recommend seeing Despicable Me 2 in the cinema, if you get the chance. Otherwise, it is certainly a must for your DVD collection.