Despicable Me (Review), reviewed by Glynn Morgan on 2010-08-07T00:01:47+00:00 rating 3.5 out of5
Sometimes in cinema, we see a movie that can’t really be criticised without sounding as if we expect everything to be a masterpiece. Sometimes a film will exhibit obnoxious, uninspired, lazy or subjectively displeasing elements that we can confidently criticise and openly disapprove of. However, if your biggest criticism of the picture is: “it’s no Citizen Kane” or “it’s no Shawshank Redemption”, you truly have nothing substantial to dislike. For me, this situation applies to Despicable Me; the latest computer generated family adventure.
I could go on about how I would prefer to be watching Monsters Inc. or Toy Story, but the reality is that Despicable Me is a decent family adventure that will entertain the kids on a Saturday afternoon. This film has no destructive flaws, so I don’t expect target audience (families) to be actively spotting many of the criticisms I make below.
The film follows Gru (voiced by Steve Carrel), a super villain who takes his job very seriously, committing evil with every chance he gets, he seems confident in his profession. Unfortunately, Gru can no longer procure funding for his large scale projects of evil because fellow villain, Vector (Jason Segal), is now the popular investment. New, stylish and grandiose in his plans, Vector has already trumped Gru with the successful theft of the Egyptian Pyramids.
Now no longer the master of evil, Gru rallies his mad scientist Doctor Nefarious (Russell Brand) and his ultra cute, bumbling minions to commit the greatest act of evil – stealing the moon. Crucial to Gru’s plan is the theft of a shrink ray from Vector’s fortified residence, a place with only one opportunity for infiltration: when three orphans visit Vector to sell him his favourite cookies. Therefore, Gru decides to adopt the orphan sisters Margo, Edith and Agnes as a means to acquiring Vector’s shrink ray. However, this decision soon becomes complicated when the orphans demonstrate the need for a loving guardian – something Gru struggles to comprehend.
Despicable Me seems to borrow a lot from the Loony Tunes style of cartoon comedy. There are a lot of gravity defying set pieces and ridiculous exaggerations. The villains even have an “ACME” style arsenal of weapons. This is an interesting throwback; a large percentage of family CGI animations focus on making non-human worlds human. Conversely, Despicable Me is about making the human world less realistic, more fun and ridiculous. It’s nice not seeing a talking animal for a change.
Gru serves as a rather cold, heartless villain, with an underground lab and creepy sidekick. Whereas Vector’s character is designed around the slick, space age, American villain, with a retro orange jumpsuit, pet shark and groovy geek hairstyle. These conflicting designs work nicely for the rival villains as they source from the stereotypes and exaggerate those elements.
One strange decision was to cast celebrities who do not use their natural voices or add to the film in any individualistic capacity. While the comedians voicing the main characters are talented individuals, their personalities appear muted in Despicable Me. Steve Carell sports a Russian accent for the entire movie, which may fit the character, but doesn’t make much sense for Carell to be doing. Why didn’t they employ a real European or a professional voice actor? Likewise with Russell Brand, who also augments his voice but also receives less of a chance to shine in his own comedic way – he doesn’t get enough attention, which feels wasteful. Julie Andrews also appears as Gru’s Mother, but I’m not entirely sure if this is obvious enough to be an entertaining casting decision.
The comedy is good, but should have capitalised on the talent more. For adults, scenes are hit and miss, but there are some fairly humorous moments throughout. One scene featuring Gru and his disgust at having to read a finger-puppet story book to the orphans is particularly enjoyable. For kids, the movie will be more consistent in its entertainment – the stocky yellow “minions” will surely be the biggest hit.
Much like the design, the animation is very slick, mixing exaggeration with subtlety in movement and pace. Steve Carell’s physicality is thankfully noticeable in Gru, who seems to channel his expressions convincingly, despite not looking (or sounding) much like Carell. Overall the presentation is fine: the 3D isn’t entirely necessary but it works and is even used for comedic purposes during the end credits. However, a 2D version wouldn’t lose much in terms of value for entertainment.
Despicable Me is a family film, but doesn’t pretend to reach the heights of classics in the medium. Although there are missed opportunities and less multi-layered comedy then you would find in great family films, there is enough to enjoy here.
Verdict:
It’s cute; it’s colourful and plays to the target audience. Only truly critical parents will have qualms, while children will enjoy the adventure for sure.
Sometimes in the cinema, we see a movie that can’t really be criticised without sounding as if we expect everything to be a masterpiece. Sometimes a film will exhibit obnoxious, uninspired, lazy or subjectively displeasing elements that we can confidently criticise and openly disapprove of. However, if your biggest criticism of the picture is: “it’s no Citizen Kane” or “it’s no Shawshank Redemption”, you truly have nothing substantial to dislike. For me, this situation applies to Despicable Me; the latest computer generated family adventure.
I could go on about how I would prefer to be watching Monsters Inc. or Toy Story, but the reality is that Despicable Me is a decent family adventure that will entertain the kids on a Saturday afternoon. This film has no destructive flaws, so I don’t expect target audiences to be spotting many of the criticisms I make below.
The film follows Gru (voiced by Steve Carrel), a super villain who takes his job very seriously, committing evil with every chance he gets, he seems confident in his profession. Unfortunately, Gru can no longer procure funding for his large scale projects of evil because fellow villain, Vector (Jason Segal), is now the popular investment. New, stylish and grandiose in his plans, Vector has already trumped Gru with the successful theft of the Egyptian Pyramids.
Now no longer the master of evil, Gru rallies his mad scientist Doctor Nefarious (Russell Brand) and his ultra cute, bumbling minions to commit the greatest act of evil – stealing the moon. Crucial to Gru’s plan is the theft of a shrink ray from Vector’s fortified residence, a place with only one opportunity for infiltration: when three orphans visit Vector to sell him his favourite cookies. Therefore, Gru decides to adopt the orphan sisters Margo, Edith and Agnes as a means to acquiring Vector’s shrink ray. However, this decision soon becomes complicated when the orphans demonstrate the need for a loving guardian – something Gru struggles to comprehend.
Despicable Me seems to borrow a lot from the Loony Tunes style of cartoon comedy. There are a lot of gravity defying set pieces and ridiculous exaggerations. The villains even have an “ACME” style arsenal of weapons. This is an interesting throwback; a large percentage of family CGI animations focus on making non-human worlds human. Conversely, Despicable Me is about making the human world less realistic, more fun and ridiculous. It’s nice not seeing a talking animal for a change.
Gru serves as a rather cold, heartless villain, with an underground lab and creepy sidekick. Whereas Vector’s character is designed around the slick, space age, American villain, with a retro orange jumpsuit, pet shark and groovy geek hairstyle. These conflicting designs work nicely for the rival villains as they source from the stereotypes and exaggerate those elements.
One strange decision was to cast celebrities who do not use their natural voices or add to the film in any individualistic capacity. While the comedians voicing the main characters are talented individuals, their personalities appear muted in Despicable Me. Steve Carell sports a Russian accent for the entire movie, which may fit the character, but doesn’t make much sense for Carell to be doing. Why didn’t they employ a real European or a professional voice actor? Likewise with Russell Brand, who also augments his voice but also receives less of a chance to shine in his own comedic way – he doesn’t get enough attention, which feels wasteful. Julie Andrews also appears as Gru’s Mother, but I’m not entirely sure if this is obvious enough to be an entertaining casting decision.
The comedy is good, but should have capitalised on the talent more. For adults, scenes are hit and miss, but there are some fairly humorous moments throughout. One scene featuring Gru and his disgust at having to read a finger-puppet story book to the orphans is particularly enjoyable. For kids, the movie will be more consistent in its entertainment – the stocky yellow “minions” will surely be the biggest hit.
Much like the design, the animation is very slick, mixing exaggeration with subtlety in movement and pace. Steve Carell’s physicality is thankfully noticeable in Gru, who seems to channel his expressions convincingly, despite not looking (or sounding) much like Carell. Overall the presentation is fine: the 3D isn’t entirely necessary but it works and is even used for comedic purposes during the end credits. However, a 2D version wouldn’t lose much in terms of value for entertainment.
Despicable Me is a family film, but doesn’t pretend to reach the heights of classics in the medium.
Although there are missed opportunities and less multi-layered comedy then you would find in great family films, there is enough to enjoy here.
Verdict:
It’s cute; it’s colourful and plays to the target audience. Only truly critical parents will have qualms, while children will enjoy the adventure for sure.
Rating [3.5/5]
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