Despicable Me

With the success of Dreamworks and Pixar, other studios are jumping on the bandwagon and making their own CGI animated films. Universal bought a French company to do theirs. The success of this film will mean that the two powerhouses have a new rival.

For many years films have been made in which the bad guy becomes the good guy or hero of the film. What I liked about this film is that there are no 'good' guys. It is about two competing bad guys with no good guy in sight. There are no superheroes to take on Gru and Vector and stop them from taking the moon. But then again I suppose their real enemy is themselves and their bumbling incompetence. Maybe world leaders realise they are no big threat. And that's what is so great about this film is the hilarious situations that Gru gets himself into. He is such a cleverly written character and so plain speaking. That is the appeal it has to adults. Gru says things to the kids in this film that I'm sure a lot of parents would like to say to their kids but don't for fear of hurting their feelings. I quite liked the design of the film too. It reminded me of 'The Addams Family', especially Gru who looks a lot like Uncle Fester. There are lots of films where the supporting characters become the most popular thing. Much like Scrat in the 'Ice Age' movies, the minions in this film steal the show. The writers have put them into so many hilarious situations that you can't wait to see what they do next. I also loved the use of 3D in the film too with some great scenes that make good use of the technology.

Steve Carell has done some of his best work as the voice in animated films. And this is one of them. While I found his accent a little weird, I still found him to be hilarious as Gru. I would not have though that Jason Segal would suit his character but I was wrong. He does such a good job that you don't think of Jason as you watch Vector talk which is a good thing. Russell Brand is equally hilarious as Gru's assistant. Another case of the voice not overwhelming the role.

If this film is anything to go by then it looks like Pixar and Dreamworks have some serious competition in their quest for animation world domination. The type of film that adults can see without having to take a kid along too.