A MEDIOCRE FAMILY GATHERING: "The Family" Shows Hints of Potential, But Ultimately Fails.

  

Luc Besson has produced, written, and directed some of the most entertaining and pulse pounding films of the last two-plus decades, among them Leon: The Professional; Taken and its sequel; The Fifth Element; and The Transporter series. However, even with a track record like that it’s possible to misfire, and unfortunately, The Family misses the target.

 

The story focuses on Brooklyn mobster Fred Blake/Givoanni Manzoni (Robert DeNiro) who, after surviving a near hit, turns in evidence that puts high-ranking mobster Don Luchese (Stan Carp) in prison and force Manzoni, his wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer), and children Belle (Dianna Agron) and Warren (John D’Leo), into witness protection in Normandy, France with new identities. Each member of the re-christened “Blake” family is amoral in their own right and, as a result, this isn’t the first time that the family has been relocated, much to the consternation of FBI agent and handler Robert Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones).

 

It sounds like a typical “culture shock” story, but one would expect (given that the story is written by Besson with an assist by screenwriter Michael Caleo with the entire process overseen by producer Martin Scorsese, who knows a thing or two about mobsters[1] ) that the premise would be given an interesting overhaul. However, the whole film is disjointed. It’s not that it is not enjoyable. It just seems uninspired.

 

Besson has been able to deftly juggle humor, dark or otherwise, with action and suspense before, as any of the aforementioned films can attest to. However, here the tonal shifts are discordantly jarring. The comedy, while effective in parts, is derived primarily from the actors and the audience's familiarity with them and, more importantly, their quirks. Robert DeNiro is essentially playing Robert DeNiro. Ms. Pfieffer basically repurposes her Married to the Mob character though she does manage to give her character a bit more bite that would give The Sopranos’ Carmela Soprano pause. Tommy Lee Jones seems to be on autopilot these days, playing Stansfield as a subdued Samuel Gerard from The Fugitive/U.S. Marshalls. It’s not to say they’re not enjoyable to watch, but there’s almost an underlying bored aspect to their performances combined with a “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” at the audience that you’ve seen this all before (especially given the reference to another Scorsese film reference that is practically televised to the audience before it is even mentioned***). Surprisingly, it’s Agron and D’Leo who are the film’s standouts. Both start out as the stock “too cool for school” teenager characters but grow in an extremely visceral way as the story progress so that by its conclusion, they are at a more mature place. The world, and the circumstances by which they come to live in it, are no joke. The other performers are so one note rote that they barely merit a mention. That they service the story well is the best that can be said.

 

Besson seems more interested in, and devotes two-thirds of the film’s running time, to the Manzoni/Blake’s “fish out of water” story. Thus, the subplot regarding the price on their collective heads and the hit man in pursuit of them (an effectively creepy Jon Freda) is almost tacked on at the end. However, Besson’s direction ratchets the suspense in the limited amount of time remaining to actual edge-of-seat proportions. The climax also allows the two younger actors to shine in their respective roles, running a gamut of conflicting emotions warring with a surprising amount of self-possession. The score by Evgueni and Sacha Galperine is quirky but colorful, adding to the film’s general atmosphere. However, given the unevenness of film’s tone, it comes across as disjointed as well.

 

By no means is The Family a bad film. It has some enjoyable moments and some good character interaction. However, the shifting tone, the ennui of the leads, and the overall execution prevent it from being as enjoyable as one would expect given the talent involved both in front of and behind the camera. I never thought I’d see a Luc Besson film that would merit a “wait for cable” designation.

 

I guess there’s a first time for everything.

 

 

***The script is based on a short story called Malavita, which was also called Badfellas

DIESEL ROLLS THE DICE ON RIDDICK.

 

The backstory behind the Riddick franchise is quite interesting. The first film, Pitch Black (2000) did well enough at the box office to warrant a big budget, studio backed sequel (The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)) which practically tanked at the box office. Reportedly, this was mostly due to the fact that it eschewed the tone and events of the first film. However, when Universal declined to green light a second follow up, franchise star Vin Diesel declined payment in a The Fast and The Furious cameo to obtain the rights to Riddick and went even so far as to mortgage his own house in order to secure financing for an independently produced second sequel. Does Diesel's gamble pay off?

 

On the whole, it does.

 

I have to admit that I went into this Riddick blind, as I had not seen the two previous films. However, it says something that this film makes me want to watch the first at the very least. While this film follows the events of the second film, it is still somewhat easy for the uninitiated to follow: A restless Riddick (Diesel) wears a "crown upon a troubled brow" (to borrow a phrase from Conan the Barbarian) as Lord of the Necromongers (don't ask). Riddick, a figurative caged animal tired of civilized trappings of rule, negotiates with Vaako (Karl Urban, in a blink or you'll miss him cameo) to relinquish his position in exchange for safe passage to his home world, Furya. However, a double crossed Riddick is left stranded, battered, and bruised on an inhospitable planet. Eventually, events force Riddick to send out a distress beacon that brings not one, but two different teams of bounty hunters: One led by a Hispanic caricature named Santana (a comically annoying Jordo Molla) who literally wants to put Riddick's head in a box; the other led by Boss Johns (Matt Nable), who is after Riddick for other, more personal reasons. The rest of the film plays like a combination between Alien, Castaway, and The Most Dangerous Game.

 

The script is a straightforward, by the numbers, if somewhat disjointedly directed affair by David Twohy. But then, let's face it; even someone who has not watched the previous movies knows that the big draw of the film is Diesel. He pulls a "Chuck Noland" for the first fifteen to twenty minutes of the film; i.e. it's just him and the landscape. However, thanks to his natural charisma, he manages to sell what could have been ploddingly unnecessary exposition and make it interesting (and there are a couple of gratuitous shots of Diesel in the buff to ensure that interest for those who are looking for that).

 

Would that the rest of the cast could have fared as well. Unfortunately, the trope of bickering competitors forced to work together is annoyingly overused. What is further unfortunate is that the characters are practically paper thin, disposable, two dimensional cut outs (so disposable that when certain characters are taken out of the picture, so to speak, you barely notice their absence, much less feel anything for them). While fan-favorite actors like Katee Sackhoff ("Dahl") and Dave Bautista ("Diaz") are given some choice comedic lines, their characters are surprisingly bland. The dialogue ranges from substandard to laughably execrable (especially in Molla's case), and the stereotyping goes a bit into the satirical side (again, Molla's character, as well as Sackhoff's character's name sounding too much like "doll", which Riddick mocks to delightful effect) and the editing could have been tighter as some of the sequences tend to go long even after the point has been made.

 

What the film lacks in dialogue or characterization, it makes up in sheer spectacle. In the last twenty years or so of sci-fi films, this is the first film where an alien planet actually felt alien. The special effects department and cinematographer, David Eggby, create a Frazettaian/Vallejoian landscape populated by alien creatures that truly do seem creepily alien. While the quality of the CGI is inconsistent in quality at times, special kudos go to this team for being able to create a CGI alien dog that evokes emotion in the viewer.

 

Graeme Revell's score is versatile, if somewhat lacking a core identity, in that his music serves the film's changing moods and beats. It's a suspenseful actioner, though not quite as suspenseful as it should have been. It plods at times but when the action does arrive it comes, if you'll pardon the expression, fast and furiously.  However, this film serves as set dressing for Diesel, who revels in his strutting, Sergio Leone-esque Riddick character.  It's a character he loves and believes in, and it shows, which is especially evident in the film's final act.

 

 This is, for all intents and purposes, an independent film done on a modest budget (if one can call $39 million "modest"). Free from studio interference other than distribution, the character is free to return to his cinematic roots. The film is somewhat unpolished in certain areas, but in a rather refreshing way; it comes across as more natural ... at least, as natural as a sci-fi/horror/thriller hybrid can get.  On the whole, it is highly straightforwardly entertaining film. The majority of that enjoyment really comes from Diesel, whose presence is felt in the entire film even when he's not in the scene (a rare feat in movies these days). If you like your heroes with an old-time chauvinistic swagger, then this is the film for you, and one deserving to be watched in IMAX.

"KICK ASS 2" DOESN’T LIVE UP TO IT’S NAME, BUT COMES CLOSE.

[SPOILERS AND LANGUAGE]

 One of the major tropes of the “super-hero” genre has always been the conceit of the “secret identity”, which is also known as the “dual identity” because in most cases the presented persona of the hero or heroine is opposite in temperament to the person’s own.  Prototypically, Clark Kent was conceived as nebbishly emasculated compared to Superman’s virile animus. Bruce Wayne’s ennui masked Batman’s righteous fanaticism, Diana Prince was meek and mousey compared to Wonder Woman’s feminist self-possession, and so forth. Peter Parker was also meek but unlike Clark Kent, who simply put on a klutzy act, this was his gestalt personality. However, he felt truly alive and free to be himself when he donned the mask of “Spider-Man”.  Eventually, the issue of who was the real person and who was the mask became a point debate that, for many of these characters, still remains unanswered. Kick-Ass 2, written and directed by Jeff Wadlow, based on the comic book characters created by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr., has its own identity conundrum as it is disjointed in presentation. 

Set a couple of years after the first Kick-Ass, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has put aside the Kick-Ass persona and resumed the normal, albeit frustrating, life of a high school student.  When he finds said lifestyle lacking, he decides to resume his career as Kick-Ass in order to regain his sense of purpose.  Mindy Macready (Chloe Grace Moretz) has honored her promise to her late father (Nicholas Cage, who appears only in photograph but whose ghost is felt in the form of the showcased Big Daddy costume, which is displayed in eerie inverse juxtaposition to similar scenes in Frank Miller’s 80s’ “Dark Knight Returns” mini-series) by continuing her war on crime as Hit-Girl, though doing so without the knowledge or consent of her adoptive father Marcus Williams (Morris Chestnut). When he does find out, however, Mindy is forced to renounce her identity in order to find out what it means to be a “normal” girl.  Meeeeeanwhiiiiillllllle, at stately D’Amico manor, Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is still wanting revenge against Kick Ass for the death of his father when fate gives him inspiration to become the world’s first super-villain, “The Motherfucker”, which leads to disturbing consequences for practically all involved.

In watching the film, I came away with two impressions.  One:  That the director/screenwriter tried to elevate the film in scope and importance beyond the source material. Two: That this quest for relevance has created inadvertently a schizophrenic film.

For example:  Throughout the film, characters repeatedly assert that they live “in the real world”, but when you have characters like Mother Russia (Olga Kurkulina, who looks like Colonel Ninotchka from G.L.O.W. jacked up from five steroid cycles) possessing a nigh invulnerable hide who can pick up a lawn mower with less effort than a pen, or characters like Dr. Gravity (Donald Faison, who’s only shining moment in the film is a sequence that was undoubtedly cribbed from self-described real life vigilante Phoenix Jones’ experiences) having a bat that can be made into a high-tech tool right out of a bondage fetish catalog, the lie is placed to the conceit. Is it real, or is it fantasy? And therein lies the inherent problem with the film.  It is self-consciously self-aware. In its attempt to be hip in an “in on the joke” kind of way, it undermines the flow of the story, making almost a parody of the parody/ Case in point:  Moments of comedy are followed by moments of sadism, and vice versa; a styling most especially epitomized in a short but potent performance by Jim Carrey as Col. Stars-N-Stripes. At times, Carrey’s performance is played as caricature but there is also an underlying hint of tragic gravitas.  Unfortunately, the Colonel isn’t in the film long enough to have either possibility explored.[1]  There are moments where the director reveals the absurdity of the costumed super-hero (or villain) by placing them in mundane surroundings. But beneath that veneer one can see either the sadism or heroism of the individuals that don them. The action and fight scenes are presented in both comedic and realistic fashion, a combination that works at times, but also lends an uncomfortable feeling to the proceedings.

The film skirts with issues of fetishism and ego, but they are cursorily viewed. However, all other thematic elements in the film are heavy-handedly presented. The only hint of subtlety comes, surprisingly, from John Leguizzamo as Javier, Motherfucker’s bodyguard and surrogate father figure, who may or may not be what he seems. Take a gander at his facial expressions and body language when certain lines are said; it’s a performance that is better than the movie, quite frankly, deserves.

The film is ambitious and one gets the sense that Wadlow wants to get the material to rise above itself, to actually say something.  However, ambitious his intentions, the messages he presents are mixed.  He tones down the “Quentin-Tarantino/acid trip Adam West Batman” aesthetic established by director Matthew Vaughn in the first film and juxtaposes it against a teen bildungsroman, following the two main characters as they follow a similar path though starting from opposing directions. He plays with Jungian and Freudian psychological questions regarding gender roles, acceptance/rejection of father figures (literal and figurative), and chauvinism versus feminism, among others.[2] However, the presentation of each, and their attempt at resolution, comes off as incomplete and tacked on; one which is especially felt in Mindy’s high school journey.  It’s like an ill-fitting puzzle, where pieces are forced into place where they do not belong, making for a picture that is not quite there. The sad thing is that the elements are obviously there, but either left unexplored or cut off too abruptly to lead to a satisfying conclusion.

Fault cannot lie with the actors, though in some cases the performances belie the characters, as in the case of the (ostensible) lead.  Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s physique has changed significantly since the first Kick-Ass however very little has made to disguise that fact in the beginning of the film, making it difficult to believe that he has been retired, thus detrained, since the events of the first film. Despite this fact, he is believable and hits all the right emotional beats when called for. The big draw of this film is star-on-the-rise, Moretz.  The Hit Girl character became a breakout character and an overnight feminist icon.  However, her popularity is such that could breed overexposure, thus minimizing her effectiveness on screen.  To the film’s credit, it follows the “Incredible Hulk” edict of “less is more”. However, on a whole, Moretz must be given major props for being able to give a performance that skirts the line between strength and vulnerability and do so with credibility.

Someone should give Mintz-Plasse the “most annoying villain” award at the next People’s Choice Awards, because he actually makes D’Amico more annoying than the first film. Like Carrey, it’s a performance that works even as it undermines itself. His character performs deeds that are horrific, but seem to stem more from petulant tantrum than a place of actual evil.  Sadly, as his incarcerated Uncle Ralph, Iain Glen (Game of Thrones) evinces much more evil in five minutes of screen time than Mintz-Plasse does for the entire film. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether Mintz-Plasse’s presents a bravura performance or it misses the mark. 

All in all, Kick Ass 2 is an enjoyable film. Unfortunately, the lack of follow through in terms of themes and even within the characters themselves (there is one particular instance wherein a character’s lack of foresight leads to a tragic consequence, yet said character neither is made aware of it nor is made to deal with the consequences of said action), gives the film an unfinished feel. 

Personally, I wanted to like this film more than I did because it is entertaining; it’s not just particularly fun.  It is, in a sense, too self-important; which could be forgiven if it was treated as a straight up parody of the genre.  However (and to his credit), Jeff Wadlow made an attempt to make a more substantive film that ends up being a mixed bag.  Kick-Ass 2 is good for what it is but it could have been so much more, and the hints of that greatness-that-could-have-been that are shown but left unexplored is what ultimately lessens the whole.

           

---

[1] Supposition on my own part, but I wonder if the majority of Carrey’s scenes ended up on the cutting room floor due to his very public disownment of the film due to its level of violence as a response to the events of Sandy Hook.

[2] Which are matters that go beyond the scope of a simple movie review, but may be followed up as a separate essay on this forum at a later date.

ENTER “THE WOLVERINE” – “The Wolverine” Is a Satisfying Mixture of Cinematic Styles, Making It Unique for its Genre

[SPOILERS DO FOLLOW, BUB]
 

This has been a big action packed summer.  Man of Steel, Iron Man 3, Red 2, Star Trek: Into Darkness, etc. Each filled with action heroes and explosions galore. You would expect the same from the latest entry from the Marvel staple of comic book heroes.  However, The Wolverine, directed by James Mangold, is not what you expect.

 

This is a good thing.

 

Following the events of 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, Logan (Hugh “jacked up” Jackman) is in self-imposed, boozed-infused exile in the Canadian Rockies as penance for having killed his love Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix (Famke Janssen, who appears intermittently throughout the film as either a spirit or a manifestation of Logan’s guilty conscience). However, he is brought out of seclusion by a mysterious girl named Yuiko (Rila Fukushima) as emissary for dying Billionaire industrialist and samurai Shingen Yashida (a role shared by Hiroyuki Sanada and in youth by Ken Yamamura), whom Logan saved from the nuclear annihilation of Nagasaki during the Second World War, who offers a solution to Logan’s inner turmoil. The film’s action then moves to Japan, wherein Logan must not only deal with the prejudicial double whammy of being both gaijin ("foreign devil") and a mutant, but must also protect Shingen’s granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto) from that Yakuza and ninjas. Yet, in the midst of all, Logan must also contend with the mysterious loss of his mutant healing ability, thus adding an extra element of danger to the proceedings.

 

While this sounds like a typical summer actioner, the film’s hook actually lies in its characterization. Directed by James Mangold (Walk The Line, 3:10 To Yuma), working from a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie, Scott Frank, and Mark Bomback (the skeleton of which is based off of the 1982 “Wolverine” mini-series scripted by Chris Claremont with art by Frank Miller (Sin City, the abysmal The Spirit)), the film is lusciously shot with a film noir sensibility done in independent movie/art house style though the result is more Clavell than Kurosawa. The film is visually vibrant in color and brightness; so much so that even the nighttime/darkness scenes seem to shine (a welcome antithesis to the barely perceptible night scenes of, say, The Dark Knight Rises), though the 3D of the film calls attention to much of the CGI flaws and can render background actors into toy soldiers.  

 

Themes of immortality and its tragic nature have been previously explored in other fantasy based fare such as Interview With The Vampire and Highlander, but never has it seemed so personal.  There’s something more…genuine…about this film, which contains a heart that the previous Wolverine film lacked. This lies in part due to Jackman’s portrayal (fifth going on sixth) as Logan who, while not quite his comic book basis, fits Jackman like a well-oiled glove (as oiled as his physique in this film, which provides a lot of eye candy for those who seek same). In this film, Logan is an “Urban Ronin” (city dwelling, master-less Samurai) who is adrift in a sea of his own pain due to immortal life and love lost.  What is commendable about Jackman’s performance is that, despite having played the character repeatedly, the performance is never phoned in, unlike Sean Connery’s last couple of turns as “James Bond” (especially You Only Live Twice, which also took place in Japan). Jackman gives as much heart into his role as he did in the first X-Men film. As such, the audience is rewarded with a much more introspective take on the character.  Yes, Logan moves through much of the film with a scowl that would make Clint Eastwood green with envy.  However, Jackman gives the character more depth that actually befits the subject matter. His story is told in the “show, don’t tell” mold, and it is something to watch. One look can evince volumes, and his Wolverine has stories to tell.

 

Jackman’s performance does not take place in a vacuum.  As Mariko, Tao Okamoto proves to be an adequate foil and love interest. Under Mangold’s guidance, Okomoto’s body language takes what could have been a forced romance and transform it into a natural progression. However, Fukushima’s Yukio practically steals the film as Wolverine’s crimson hued “Robin”, if you will, who is precociously beguiling yet steel of resolve. Fukushima’s chemistry with Jackman is such that one would want to see more Wolverine stand-alone movies with their respective characters buddied up. Their partnership truly works. 

 

The same cannot be said for Svetlana Khodchenkova as “Viper”, a mutant scientist/assassin who is more annoying than menacing, looking more at home on a catwalk than in a secret laboratory. While Khodchenkova succeeds in making the audience want her character to get her comeuppance, dramatically speaking, it’s for all the wrong reasons. Playing Jean Grey for the fourth time, Janssen is not given much more to do than to act ethereally; a powerful character reduced to mere catalyst for the main character’s emotional beats. Will Yun Lee, who showed promise in what little he had to do in 2002’s Die Another Day, portrays Harada, a character who is at cross-purposes with Wolverine. He takes what could have been a stock two-dimensional “rival” character and imbues it with a sense of sympathetic dignity. Sanada and Yamamura give interesting contrasts in their shared portrayal of the character of Shingen at different ages that add to the story. 

 

The film’s action is both internal and external, both of which acoustically realized by Marco Beltrami’s mood/scene-appropriate score. When the action does get external, however, it does so in “take no prisoners” fashion. One extended fight sequence is something right out of the Hong Kong output from the ‘70s. A bullet train sequence, one of the film’s highlights, strains both credulity and physics with over-the-top pulse-pounding panache. But, as aforesaid, it’s the quiet moments that shine, crackling with an intensity that is no less arresting than guns, arrows, and Adamantium claws.

 

What few flaws exist stem from the story's narrative execution.  Some of the plot turns are glaringly obvious if one knows what to look for (even if one did not know the comic backstory of any of these characters), especially when it comes to “the big reveal”. The story beats, however, are off track. There is a sequence at the beginning of the film (cribbed from the comic mini-series) that parallels Logan’s journey. Without giving too much away (too late, I know), “wounded animal” and “mortality” motifs play a huge part in the film. However, the emotional realizations and payoffs seem to arrive much earlier in the narrative than they should; impacting their emotional resonance and minimizing their effectiveness. Thus, the end of the film is not as powerful as it should be. Some ingredients were added to the recipe too soon, and a cinematic feast is reduced to a soufflé, albeit a completely enjoyable one.

 

The film skirts the line between what “Wolverine” fans want to see in live action and what Hollywood finds acceptable for its movie heroes, though it does come to some acceptable compromise (as evidenced in one scene that takes place in a high rise building).  However for the casual movie goer, The Wolverine is a solid action picture with plenty of high stakes, action, and romance. Most importantly, and more so than any other superhero actioner this year…yes, any other…The Wolverine has heart and is a highly recommended must see.

 

Oh…needless to say…stay through the credits!  You will not be disappointed.



SEEING RED (2)

After the surprise hit that was 2010's RED, then directed by Robert Schwentke, a sequel was inevitable. Based of the DC Comics comic of the same name, the film was a quirky, tongue-in-cheek, wink-wink actioner about a group of ex-spy operatives who are known as RED ("Retired Extremely Dangerous"), specifically Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) who simply wants to pursue romance with Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), a middle-American customer service agent. However, he is targeted for termination by outside forces seeking to tie up loose ends from one of his past missions.

 

This time around, Moses is still trying to establish a normal life, unaware that Sarah is dissatisfied with the state of their relationship. Lunatic spy Mavin Biggs (the always entertaining John Malkovitch) warns Frank that they have been targeted yet again.  The formula runs the same in "RED 2", but this time directed by Dean Pariost who, like he did in Galaxy Quest, brings a bit of gravitas amidst the lunacy. However, in comparison to the previous film, this works to the story's detriment. This time, Moses has to contend with three ghosts from his past, one of which is an agent with a grudge (G.I. Joe's Byung hun-Lee) recruited to kill him, another femme fatale agent recruited to seduce him (Catherine Zeta-Jones), and an asset that worked on a weapon of mass destruction (a very campy and clearly enjoying it Sir Anthony Hopkins). Helen Mirren and Brian Cox also return and are as delightful as they were before, while Neal McDonough takes on a similar role to that of Karl Urban in the previous film (alas sans the charm, humor, or sympathy of Urban's performance). All the actors make the most of their roles (and there is a geeky joy in watching two actors who've played Hannibal Lecter share a scene). However, while the witty repartee of the returning regulars is clearly in evidence, it gets bogged down by Pariost's darker direction. It's more streamlined than the first outing, but not as breezy; there are scenes that could have been edited more tightly. Reflecting this darker turn is the score by Alan Silvestri, who eschews Christopher Beck's fun score for something more in line with any generic actioner. 

 

Yet RED 2 is still fun and enjoyable. Despite it being a more streamlined film, it's still carried by the interpersonal relationships by the characters, who are all clearly having a good time with tongues firmly planted in cheek. In this case, exotic locations and enjoyable performances a good film make.

 

Besides, any movie that asserts that baldness denotes sexual virility can't be all bad. ;)

YOU'RE [NOT SO] DEZZZZZZZPICABLE! "Despicable Me 2" Tries To Do Too Much, But Is A Fun Film Nonetheless.

In a summer season filled with big, dark action films, Despicable Me 2 is a refreshing change of pace. 

 

The story takes place sometime after the events of  the first film.  Reformed evil genius Gru (Steven Carrell) has settled into his role as father to his adoptive daughters Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier, who's given very little to do) and Agnes (the precocious-sounding Elise Fisher, as adorable and "awwww" inducing as she was in the last film). However, when a top secret laboratory in the artic has been stolen by a giant magnet and secreted to parts unknown, Gru is recruited by a top secret spy agency ("AVL", the "Anti-Villain League") to help recover a chemical agent that was being developed there. Meanwhile, Gru has to deal with the not-so-avuncular Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand, an a too-short appearance reminiscent of Michael Caine in The Dark Knight Rises) defection from the family to pursue more world-dominating pursuits, his daughter Margo's experience of first love/crush, and the barely-tolerated wackiness of his assigned investigative partner, Lucy (Kristin Wiig, whose character is in great need of a Valium/Xanax cocktail). And, if that weren't enough, Gru's faithful minions (voiced by directors Peter Coffin and Chris Renaud) are being abducted for some nefarious purpose.

 

If it sounds like a lot is going on, it's because there is. However, this movie seems more like "The Minions Take Manhattan" rather than Despicable Me. Coffin and Renaud understood that a major part of the first film's success stemmed from the amusingly adorable minions so they are given much more screen time with vignettes peppered between the main story. Unfortunately, it works to the plots' disadvantage as the resolution of each storyline seems underdeveloped and rushed. Not that there is any action, mind you (especially in a sequence that parodies the recent resurgence of over the top action blockbusters), but there's never really any sense of danger with any of these situations.

 

But in this movie, there really shouldn't be. While some of the comedic bits don't work as well as they should, this film does have a charm that engenders an ingratiating smile whether you want to or not (even with the slew of bald jokes that pepper the film...).  It also manages the rare feat of bringing something new to the table but still feel comfortingly familiar. The new improved Gru may not have the same bite as the villainous one did, but under Carrell's vocal ministrations, he proves to be just as compelling. As his off-kilter yet capable companion, fellow DM veteran Wiig (who voiced Miss Hattie in the original film) endearingly holds her own. Yes, the resolution of their own plot line is predictable but the journey to the endpoint is entertaining to watch and, frankly, a lot more honest than most live action efforts. The film skirts the line of racist stereotype with Mexican restaurateur Eduardo (an almost vocally unrecognizable but commendable Benjamin Bratt, who was brought in literally at the last minute after Al Pacino left the part over "creative differences"), but does so with aplomb; skewering without being offensive. The stars of this film, however, are the minions, who practically steal any scene they are in.

 

The films flaws are minor and, ultimately, inconsequential. When it works, it works. When it doesn't, it still manages to engender a smile.  There's enough to keep the kids happy while bringing enough slapstick and subtext to entertain the adults (or the adults with the kid still alive inside). Isn't that ultimately what we should get from films like Despicable Me 2? If so, then this one delivers.

MARTIN/ZIMMERMAN

Three observations:

1.  Justice, by its very nature, MUST be blind.

2.  There are no winners in this; only losers all around.

3.  As a society, we have a long way to go.