Saturday, July 24, 2010

Review - Despicable Me

Last weekend I took the kids to see Despicable Me. They begged to see it in 3D and I relented. First, I just want to comment that while the 3D animation was alright, it certainly didn't seem like anything to get overly excited about and I definitely didn't see it as being worth the extra $2 per ticket.

The movie was a lot of fun. The animation was well done. The writing/direction was funny. The voice acting was good. From a high level, the story was fairly normal and semi-predictable...think of a sort of high-tech, spy-vs-spy version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." What set this apart from "Grinch" and "spy versus spy" was the quick paced humor coupled with creative scenes and clever writing.

The absolute 'over the top' nature of the villains and their goals (steal a pyramid, steal the moon, etc) illustrate the general tone of the movie. The characters are highly stylized charicatures. The environments, gadgets, effects are outrageous and fun. The general plot/story is fairly stereotypical but the way things play out is unique and entertaining.

This is not a wild and crazy action movie. It's also not a simple and fluffy kids cartoon. It's somewhere in between. It's thoughtful, humorous and a lot of fun. The exciting and crazy moments are just plain entertainment goodness. The tender moments are warm and kind.

In the end, this is just a fun movie that's entertaining for the whole family.  Gru was hilariously evil yet lovable.  The girls were great.  And the minions were a riot.  There wasn't anything scary or offensive.  Give it a whirl.


3.5 out of 5 stars

5 comments:

Brian Miller said...

my boys really want to see this...i am curious about it...thoughts on an appropriate age group for this?

Okie said...

My kids are 10, 8 and 6. They all really enjoyed it. My six year old says (and I quote) "I liked it really a lot. The shrink ray was so cool and the carnival was cool too."

Anonymous said...

Totally understand your feelings about the extra $2 per ticket, but I'm curious if your kids think it was worth the extra? Did see a noticeable difference? Personally, I wouldn't have given up the extra cash, but I am just mean that way. ;) My kids are old enough now that I can see one is growing up to be cheap like me...lol.

Okie said...

Good point J. My kids were super excited by the 3D when we went in and when we left. During the movie, I wondered a couple of times whether it made a difference for them. Most of the times it was tough to tell whether they cared or not. But there were a few moments where they reached up to grab at items coming out of the screen....and in those moments, their smiles were huge, even to the point of a giggle at one moment.

So, I suspect they'll still push for 3D films in the future. And there may be times when I'll relent and we'll watch them in 3D again.

But, until ticket prices are the same for both mediums, it won't be the norm for our movie-going experience except in special situations.

Anonymous said...

Okie, then it was worth the bucks...I am such a cheapie. (lol) Your kids are lucky to have a parent who isn't. That said, I can't wait to see this one. My kids are much older and they want to watch, so it has appeal for the old as well as the young. Your review has serve to excite me more. :)