Review of 'Despicable Me'
1st film in the 'Despicable Me' series
Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is a criminal mastermind whose dream of stealing the moon with the the help of his numerous small yellow “minions” and the gadgets of his hard-of-hearing assistant Dr. Nefario (voiced by Russell Brand) is called into question when he is turned down for a loan. Determined to prove to the bank his plan will work Gru steals a “shrink ray gun” which is promptly stolen by the young, up-start criminal calling himself “Vector” (voiced by Jason Segel). Noticing how three young orphaned girls are able to easily gain access to Vector's hideout he adopts them so they can help steal the shrink ray back. Gru's rough, criminal exterior begins to erode as he becomes fond of the girls…
A fantastic and witty animation featuring the amazing vocal talents of some famous actors including Steve Carell as Gru, Russel Brand as Dr. Nefario and Julie Andrews as Gru's mother. They all add their unique acting and vocal talents to the film, bringing the characters to life. As with most successful animations, this film appeals to viewers of all ages though will be particularly enjoyable to the young with the three young girls (the oldest and most cynical, Margo, voiced by Miranda Cosgrove, Edith voiced by Dana Gaier, and the youngest and most naive, Agnes voiced by Elsie Fisher). Any adult innuendo is kept to a minimum instead the humour focusing on either the absurd or mild double-entendre. The clean, crisp animation is stylish yet consistent with the bizarre world “Despicable Me” is set in – Full of imagination and whimsy.
It is the delightful “minions” that really steal the show with their silly, ridiculous antics dominating any time they are on the screen while they spout their unintelligible gibberish (though it's meaning is, oddly, quite clear). Their play with Gru's various weapons results in great destruction but, as might be expected, they somehow always escape any serious harm (the reoccurring image of the minion having been made weightless floating around is priceless).
The story is simple with ample room for some hilarious set-pieces that are suitably over the top and very imaginative which, after all, is what this is all about. The ending is likely never much in doubt but it is the journey that entertains. But at it's heart this is a story of someone who never really knew he was lonely finding love and meaning in his life.
Extremely silly but good fun, still managing to entertain after many viewings.
Rating: “I have absolutely no complaints”
Review Date: 2020-04-10
Directed by: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud
Studio: Universal Pictures
Year: 2010
Length: 95 minutes
Genre: Animation
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1323594/
Other reviewed films in the 'Despicable Me' series:
- Despicable Me 2 (2013)
- Despicable Me 3 (2017)
Other reviewed films by Balda Kyle and Pierre Coffin:
- Minions (2015)
Other reviewed films by Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney:
- The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
Other reviewed films by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud:
- Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Other reviewed films by Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda and Eric Guillon:
- Despicable Me 3 (2017)