Despicable Me 2
Directors: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud
Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Ken Jeong, Steve Coogan
Rating: (PG)
4 stars (out of 5)
When Despicable Me came out, it had a lot going for it.
The selling point was Steve Carell voicing, in a strange, strangled, eastern European accent, criminal mastermind Gru, a man who revelled in being bad.
When he adopted three orphan girls to further an evil plot but eventually choose family life over villainy, it was charming and funny.
But what really tickled the public's fancy was the little yellow chappies who made up his army of minions.
The minions had stiff competition but they were the best thing in the movie.
Despicable Me 2 (Rialto and Hoyts) seems resigned to the inevitability of the minions stealing the show and makes little effort to keep them in check.
We open with Gru making a pretty good fist of being a Dad. True to his word, his criminal organisation is now devoted to making a range of jams.
But there is a new criminal mastermind making his presence felt and Gru is approached by agent Lucy (Kristen Wiig), from a secret organisation devoted to stopping super-villains, to work with her as a consultant on the old it-takes-a-thief-to-catch-thief principle.
While Gru and Lucy go undercover, the minions are left holding the fort and the anticipated comic chaos ensues.
Best thing: It gives us what we really want - more minions.
Worst thing: Apart from the minions, it does coast a little.
See it with: Your own unruly minions.
