"Despicable Me or Despicable DON'T"
*Warning! Sort-of Spoilers!*
Most moviegoers remember when the first "Despicable Me" movie hit theaters. It was a refreshing animation that while targeted at a younger audience had a unique story, dynamic cast members, and clever humor that everyone could enjoy. Then the sequel came and "Illumination" managed to keep our interest with energetic and eccentric new characters and keeping up that quick wit. But then,...sigh... "Minions" arrived. The yellow cast of side gags had an entire movie dedicated to their nonsense language and crude humor. Exiting the theater after "Minions" left most kids laughing somewhat, and adults wishing they hadn't just wasted an a hour and half of their lives. The minions were clearly funny in small doses but can not entertain enough by themselves for an entire movie. So when the "Despicable Me 3" teaser dropped I watched, warily, but was pleasantly surprised. The introduction of a new and zany 80's themed villain combined with the promise of a new Gru and Lucy (or Grucy) working dynamic offered a light hearted comedy getting back to the original spirit of the franchise. So optimistically hopeful, I watched the most recent trailer...and was thoroughly disappointed. When "Illumination" realized that they had too many minions, what was there solution? Just add more Gru...or rather add more Steve Carell.
Yep, that awkward trope of having a long lost twin brother just won't seem to die, or at least have the decency to go into a Sleeping Beauty-esque coma. This forced story plot combined with Steve Carell doing his stick twice as many times has me definitely disappointed. Between the villain introduced earlier and this sudden twin brother, I fear that the Despicable franchise is following an unfortunate recent and common movie error of having too many plot threads that don't mesh well together. It's as if they had two scripts, weren't sure which one to go or which would be popular, so they mashed them together, padding with minion humor where they felt necessary.
Maybe "Illumination" and the Despicable crew have a few surprises in store. Maybe they're actually saving the good parts of the movie for the movie itself (something more trailers should be doing). But based off of what I have seen so far, I'm pretty sure this "Despicable Me" will be a "Despicable Dud". Here's hoping I'm wrong.
Meghan:
ReplyDeleteYour blog post on the Despicable franchise is informative and an entertaining media review. Creatively juxtaposed, you were able to bring those who haven't seen any of the movies into an opportunity to compare existing versions with a sense of informed opinion. Finally, your attention to detail is highly useful as a blog feature; far too many are merely personal opinion forced onstage without any amplification. Well done!