Despicable Me
(PG), 110 minutes, 4/5
The true measure of a kids' movie's success surely has to be its ability to also be enjoyed by adults.
Otherwise, who is going to take the kids to see it.
Despicable Me, the latest toon to hit movie screens in 3D, is one of those
wonders that manages to get the kids laughing at fart jokes and the adults at the more high-brow humour.
The storyline follows Gru, a villain voiced by Steve Carell, who has found himself playing second fiddle to the new baddy on the scene, Vector (Jason Segel).
Vector has become the most wicked person on the planet having stolen one of the Giza pyramids. So Gru, his mad scientist sidekick (Russell Brand) and an army of "minions" - the ridiculously cute tic-tac shaped yellow creatures - get to work on stealing the moon.
The evil mission is only possible though with the shrink ray (how else are they going to make the moon small enough to hide in Gru's pocket) but Vector has it.
Hitting up the local orphanage for the help of three little girls soon sees Despicable Me take on a Grinch-like storyline with Gru's heart softening with each cutesy comment from his new daughters.
Kids aren't left short of any silly moments to get them giggling but adults may wonder if they're the real target audience when Gru seeks a loan from the "Bank of Evil - formerly known as Lehmann Brothers".
The storyline may be predictable, but try not cooing as Gru, the man who at the start of the movie popped a child's animal balloon, reads a puppet book to his "kittens".
Don't wait for this one to come out on DVD, the 3D effects are too good and used to their maximum ability with a rollercoaster scene putting the viewer right in the movie.
