In Despicable Me, the world is shocked when an unnamed villain steals an entire pyramid! And amongst those who are confused is Gru (Steve Carell), a villain down on his luck who is looking for one more big score to send him off into the sunset. But this new villain has upped the ante, which leads Gru to come up with one more master plan. He is going to steal the moon!
However, he first needs a shrink ray, which has been taken by the pyramid stealer, a new and young villain who goes by Vector (Jason Segel). And his fortress seems impenetrable, except for three orphan girls who sell Vector cookies. And so Gru has a plan: adopt the three orphans, use them to get the shrink ray, and then steal the moon.
On the other side of this story sits Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher), who spend every day hoping that someone will adopt them. And so when Gru, pretending to be a dentist, adopts them, they are suspicious at first. Though Gru adopts them for nefarious purposes, he soon grows to love the girls and becomes torn between his goals as a villain and his new responsibilities as a father.
The movie is funny throughout, heartwarming, and contains an incredible message regarding the value of relationships. Gru’s Minions add a layer of hilarity and silliness to the movie that keep the viewers engaged through the main plot movements, though perhaps they don’t warrant their own movie like they got in 2015. The main characters are well thought out, though slightly one dimensional. The three girls each grasp on to one or two of their traits which is constantly brought up, and they don’t exactly change, except in their relationship to Gru. Gru, of course, changes the most, going from a jealous villain to a caring father.
This movie provides good family fun for all ages. It also contains an important message about caring for relationships over career. The only thing that might concern some parents is the fact that the main protagonist is a villain, though a villain that is silly and cartoonish, far from a violent monster or anything like that.
Despicable Me is available in the Logos.
Rated PG: rude humor and mild action.
*reviewed by Brennan Kress
Union University Library Blog 