 ***PLEASE NOTE: A Blu-ray 3D disc is only compatible with 3D Blu-ray players.*** Tagline: When the world needed a hero, they called a villain. Gru, his adorable girls, and the mischievous Minions are back with a cast of unforgettable new characters in the blockbuster sequel to the worldwide phenomenon. Just as Gru has given up being super-bad to be a super-dad, the Anti-Villain League recruits him to track down a new criminal mastermind and save the world. Partnered with secret agent Lucy Wilde, Gru, along with the wildly unpredictable Minions, must figure out how to keep his cover while also keeping up with his duties as a father. Assemble the Minions for laugh-out-loud comedy in "one of the funniest, most enjoyable movies ever!" Written by (MovieGuide) Storyline: While Gru, the ex-supervillain is adjusting to family life and an attempted honest living in the jam business, a secret Arctic laboratory is stolen. The Anti-Villain League decides it needs an insider's help and recruits Gru in the investigation. Together with the eccentric AVL agent, Lucy Wilde, Gru concludes that his prime suspect is the presumed dead supervillain, El Macho, whose his teenage son is also making the moves on his eldest daughter, Margo. Seemingly blinded by his overprotectiveness of his children and his growing mutual attraction to Lucy, Gru seems on the wrong track even as his minions are being quietly kidnapped en masse for some malevolent purpose. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com) Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown on December 3, 2013 -- Bigger isn't always better... there's no truer statement when it comes to sequels, animated or otherwise. But there's a flipside to that coin. Smaller isn't necessarily better either. Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud's Despicable Me 2 is a colorful, fun-filled followup to the Illumination Entertainment original, no argument here. Unfortunately, it's a bit more Despicable Me 1.5 than a remarkable evolution. New characters enter stage left, familiar faces return, and the Minions steal the show yet again. Oh, there are laughs to be had, and plenty of 'em. IE's animation is delightful, its voice actors lovingly cast and assembled, the music bright and playful, and Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio's improv-friendly script is bursting with wit and wiles. So how is it that Despicable Me 2 eeks by on little more than charm and charisma? Having renounced villainy for the (relatively) tame, tempered life of a family man and father, former super-baddie Gru (Steve Carell) is reluctantly recruited by the Anti-Villain League to track down a mysterious criminal responsible for the theft of a dangerous mutagen. To help him bring the sinister ne'er-do-well to justice, Gru is assigned a secret base of operations in a local mall, a wish list of gadgets and, much to his dismay, a partner: undercover agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig). Gru's problems don't end there. His longtime friend Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) calls it quits, his oldest daughter Margo (Miranda Cosgrove) falls for the son of his prime suspect, his other daughters Edith (Dana Gaier) and Anges (Elsie Fisher) find themselves in danger, and his Minions (voiced by Coffin and Renaud) are disappearing one by one. Are the two mysteries really just one larger conspiracy? Will Gru uncover the identity of the true villain? Is humble restaurant owner Eduardo Perez (Benjamin Bratt) really super-villain El Macho, back from the grave? And what could anyone possibly want with such an aggressive mutagen? Despicable Me was something of a surprise hit in 2010, flipping the ever-popular superhero genre onto its noggin thanks to the story of a madman-turned-do-gooder with a heart of gold. The sequel, on the other hand, flips the franchise into overdrive. Gru is a card-carrying AVL agent busting heads and collecting clues before the first act even hits its stride, and there's more Minions per minute than any grinning grade schooler could hope for. Yet very little actually happens. Gru's development is rather one note, hinging on a tired love story as predictable as the identity of the film's mystery villain(s). The girls are cute as buttons and feisty as they come, as anticipated, but fail to do much growing up; the exception being Margo I suppose, who fawns over a boy for half the movie before opening herself to the perils of heartbreak. Dr. Nefario has a mini-arc, if you want to call it that; not that he lands anywhere other than exactly where you'd expect. The Minions remain the series' go-to comic relief, albeit so much so that sight gags often take the place of more clever dialogue or sharper, subtler genre satire. And with an MI6/SHIELD-esque organization like the AVL, Despicable Me 2 could have had more fun with Gru's hero status and first mission. Instead it takes the path most traveled, dumping our heroes headlong into a by-the-numbers secret agent-meets-hesitant hero adventure. That said, the giggling, snorting, laughing tykes in your family won't care about the sequel's shortcomings or the missed opportunities. Not one bit. Nor I suspect will you, if that is you're able to lock down and quarantine the critical quadrants of your mind for more than fifteen minutes. If nothing else, Despicable Me 2 is a riot, flaws and all. My wife and I cracked up more than I care to admit, which was nothing -- and I mean nothing -- compared to the spasms and fits of laughter the ten, eight and five-year-old children sitting with us were forced to endure. Popcorn was spilled... several times. Nachos were left unattended. Tears were shed. Cheers resounded. And the last fifteen minutes of the movie killed. Kids, especially if they're anything like the junior cinephiles we took to the theater, will love the Minions as much as ever. Kids will love rehabilitated Gru. Kids will love Margo, Edith and Agnes, and will quickly come to love Lucy as much as the big, bald lug in the DM2 spotlight. Better still, the young at heart will follow the young along for the ride without objection, and be well-rewarded for their time. Yes, Despicable Me 2 falls short of what it could be. Yes, it's rather small in scope, especially compared to most animated sequels. And yes, critics and stone-faced parents will grumble grumble grumble. But those who let down their guard and flip their adult switches to "off" will be entertained and pleasantly satisfied. Despicable Me 2 is a lot of fun. It has its share of issues, sequel hangups and unfulfilled potential, I'll be the first to admit. But the kids in the room won't notice, or even care to entertain the possibility that DM2 is a slightly lesser film than the original. Universal's Blu-ray release is more reliable -- with an excellent video presentation, a dazzling 3D experience and a terrific DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track -- so long as the disc's rather rudimentary supplemental package doesn't strike you as a problem. All told, fans of Despicable Me will have a blast with its sequel, even when the going gets a bit rough. Cast Notes: Steve Carell (Gru [voice]), Kristen Wiig (Lucy [voice]), Benjamin Bratt (Eduardo / El Macho [voice]), Miranda Cosgrove (Margo [voice]), Russell Brand (Dr. Nefario [voice]), Ken Jeong (Floyd [voice]), Steve Coogan (Silas [voice]), Elsie Kate Fisher (Agnes [voice] [as Elsie Fisher]), Dana Gaier (Edith [voice]), Moises Arias (Antonio [voice]), Nasim Pedrad (Jillian [voice]), Kristen Schaal (Shannon [voice]), Pierre Coffin (Kevin the Minion / Bob the Minion / Stuart the Minion / Additional Minions / Evil Minions [voice]), Chris Renaud (Additional Minions / Evil Minions / Italian Waiter [voice]), Nickolai Stoilov (Arctic Lab Guard [voice]). IMDb Rating (10/31/12): 6.9/10 from 43,689 users
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