So, anyway; Despicable Me 2. Technically it's out on Thursday, but there was a massive pre-release this weekend - far too widespread to count as 'previews' - and Hannah and I took the Biscuit to see it this afternoon.
Starting with the spoiler-free version: I liked it. I'm a bit of a Johnny come lately to the franchise, having caught the original on Lovefilm a few months back, so I hit this with that rather fresh in my mind, and it worked both as a film and as a sequel. It runs on slapstick a lot, and some of it is hit and miss, but at this rate of fire you can get away with a fairly low percentage.
The performances are spot on. Gru remains a charming curmudgeon, and the three girls are both adorable and somewhat convincing, albeit in the same slightly OTT fashion as the grown ups. New characters have the same quirky appeal, especially Lucy Wilde, a rookie agent paired up with Gru.
And now the more spoilery version. If you're playing along at home, look away now.
Seriously, stop reading.
You have been warned.
Okay; all gone?
Just the ones who've seen it?
Okay: So, the film follows on very nicely from the first, with Gru still a doting dad, aiming to make a living by selling jellies and jams produced by mad science. Instead of doing the reset (take the girls away, force him to be a villain again through blackmail, yadda yadda) he is instead offered a chance to be a hero - or at least and anti-villain - and, incidentally, a shot at love after a life fearing romance. This could be terrible, but it isn't. There's a real spark between Gru and Lucy, with the characters sharing a mix of serious competence and childlike glee in their work.
Similarly, the plot and the villain gadgets manage to be both nefarious and at the same time slightly whimsical, without sacrificing punch in either department.
All in all, a big success, and the minions are as awesome as ever.
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