It is very, very difficult in this golden age of computer animation to fault the visuals of a film such as Despicable Me; from the spectacle of a rocket launch to the flickers of facial expressions, new animation production company Illumination Entertainment give full force to both the humour and drama of the narrative of its first foray, and the actual cinema in which the St John’s Film Society stages its showings only enhanced the visual impact. Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell) is a villain whose masterplan to steal the moon necessitates the adoption of three orphan girls, and he finds himself unexpectedly taking on the role of a father.

The three girls do not quite manage to sidestep the obvious trap of gushing saccharine, and their personalities reach as far as the classic Powerpuff Girl distinction between the cute one, the tough one, and the sensible one. However, to see a film such as this and expect character complexity would only be asking for disappointment.

Whilst many recent family-targeted films strive for a more blaring style of humour, Despicable Me’s liveliness often stems from entirely visual jokes, such as the conspicuousness of Gru’s flamboyantly sinister house within a street full of uniform suburban neighbours. Instead, the use of exaggerated comedy in the movie tends to be more Looney Tunes-esque larger-than-life, which parallels the imaginatively outlandish nature of the crimes, skirting around the need for any actually dark deeds. The villains do, however, take time out from their competitive theft of major world landmarks to fire generous selections of missiles at eachother. Another example of the flexible blend of humour which gives this film universal appeal is Gru’s minions, essentially yellow Raving Rabbids wearing goggles. They rely on being assaulted in every possible manner for somewhat simplistic laughs, but they are the highlight for many of the film’s fans. In terms of music, the self-possessed Pharrell Williams soundtrack underscores Gru’s dastardly attempts with a feel which is almost reminiscient of James Bond.

The strong family message makes this exactly the kind of film which you would want to take your kids to see, and there was something resonant to be found, in the moon as the insubstantial mark of a lifelong dream, that is diverted by the sudden, very real presence, of the three girls. The climax of the film is delivered satisfyingly. Unfortunately, the directors failed to realise that not every film requires a gratuitously appendaged sequence of giddy dancing.

 

The St John's Film Society are showing Invictus on Sunday 27th February at 7pm and 10pm and other films throughout the rest of term. Visit their website here for more details.