"Despicable Me" (2010) - Movie Review

Comedy of appearance used to be half the battle in animation films and now with the stories and high energy CGI taking precedence, it has become unnoticeable. While the appearance of our favourite cartoon characters brought laughs, the human mind gets seasoned and becomes used to it expecting more than physicality of it. “Despicable Me” brings out these ridiculously funny minions which by every sight of it pulls out the laugh from its audience. It accomplishes the victory of that half of the battle. The remaining comes through some good laughs, adorable animated kids and Steve Carell doing an intriguing Spanish accent to take the team home safe and sound.

It is time for the villains to be noticed and grow a heart. Thus comes Gru (voice of Steve Carell), a middle aged moderately popular villain trying to achieve his stardom back in the scene for the crowd beckoning some bad dudes. He has tried hard enough to be a jerk. His introduction with Pharell’s titular song with a series of toned and mastered jerk behaviour from Gru puts the film on course.

Gru had a decently successful career of being the bad man. His conquests includes stealing of JumboTron from Times Square. His family includes a mother (voice of Julie Andrews) who does not forget to call him and mock and a trustworthy but aging Dr. Nefario (voice of Jason Segel) making gadgets and plans for him and the aforementioned laugh out loud funny hundred or more thousands minions.

Directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud have not alone used the voices of the actors but make them sweat a little to create some characteristics out of it. In animation films star studded voices have been the trend and most of the times I have the tendency to attribute the actor’s characteristic into their animated characters. “Despicable Me” might be one of the few wherein I left it out and began seeing the images instead of associating those with the voices.

Gru’s status of being the villain of a generation is questioned by a nerdy annoying little villain calling himself Vector (voice of Jason Segel). Vector has pulled off a greatest heist to challenge Gru. He simply lifted off one of the pyramids. Gru not alone has to do something about it but do big. And he wants to go all in and reach the moon. That is exactly he sets out to do. Two things to happen. Get the shrinking machine and go to moon. Then you do the math.

In the midst of this, there are three little girls from orphanage with one of those horrible caretakers. Kristin Wiig takes the honour of voicing that witch. Vector as much as annoying he can be is in reality darn good in securing his crib and thus Gru sees these kids successfully entering the premise of his for selling cookies. Eureka moments light up our man and hence comes the redemption for this despiteful character.

The math on this is very simple, the insolent rooted villain of ours has to come to realize that being nice to people brings more happiness than he really thought of. How easily these animation films get by without much explanation about the history of their central character to be bad or good? Here Gru has a terrible uninspiring mocking mother and his only success becomes in being a hateful person. I guess it is this convenience which brings wide variety of people to have some neat healthy fun.

Gru and the kids eventually becomes great buddies and there is a ritual ending which we do not mind about. The only let down is that the potential “Despicable Me” created itself in its first two acts raised itself high enough for more inspirational stuff in the third act. Not because of laziness or compromise but purely of some creative muscle being relaxed puts this otherwise entertaining film into a likable flick than to the statuses of “Ratatouille”, “Wall-E” and “Up”.