As a film critic I'm conditioned to analyze character development, cinematography, and a bunch of other crap that won't affect that little boy's enjoyment of the movie at all. While I sat calmly in my seat and watched the movie, he bounced around and squealed when it looked like 3D was popping off the screen. He giggled at fart jokes and laughed uninhibited when Dr. Gru's minions made a joke. He even rebuked the characters on the screen when they thought Dr. Gru wouldn't make it. "Oh yes he will!" he said loud enough for the entire theater to hear. And when you look at the movie from his perspective, it was pretty damn good!
It might not resonate with adults the way that Kung Fu Panda or Toy Story 3 did, but it is a fun, mindless escape. And for that reason I applaud it.
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Like most animated films, the cast is packed with recognizable names and voices, including Julie Andrews who makes a cameo as Gru's Mom. Carell does a fantastic job with his character - putting on a fun Middle Eastern/Russian accent that would make Michael Scott cringe. Everyone else does a good job of not allowing their voice to overshadow their characters, with the exception of Brand who was miscast as a 90-year-old mad scientist.
The animation was crisp - especially the parts of the movie that were implemented to take full advantage of 3D. I haven't seen a lot of movies in 3D, but I can already see a new sect of physical comedy forming where filmmakers are able to play off the interactive element the technology offers. And it's probably only just the beginning (I can already imagine Jackass 3D coming to theaters).
There was no overarching moral to the story, but in many ways that is a good thing, because it teaches grown ups there doesn't have to be a deeper meaning to everything, sometimes things are just fun for the sake of being fun.
--Mark Collins