Despicable Me

IT'S A UNDENIABLE truth that evil is so much more fun to watch than goody-two-shoes – even Milton discovered the fact in his epic 17th century poem Paradise Lost when he was depicting the Machiavellian evil of Satan versus God. And so it is with Gru, the dastardly protagonist of Despicable Me, who delights in devilish deeds and dastardly mischief. The fact that he also possesses super powers so he can literally freeze everyone else in the queue for coffe so he can jump to the front of the line, adds to his ability to spread misery wherever he goes.

Gru prides himself on being the meanest creature on Earth – but then he discovers another arch villain, in white John Travolta suit, with a bouffant black quiff, is on the prowl, and he seems to be pretty unscrupulous too! It's time for Gru to pull his biggest heist of all time: he is going to steal the moon!

Now the contest of evil versus, well, greater evil begins, and as Gru begins to show his gentler side as he adopts three little orphan girls, Margo, Edith and Agnes, we all start rooting for the Bad Guy turned Good.

Coming from the producers of Ice Age and Horton Hears A Who, Despicable Me is a fast-paced animation with lots of zippy battle-ready vehicles, cartoon action stunts and funny one-liners. For parents, there's a definite moment of recognition when Gru reads his girls a bedtime story and laments its trivial content. The Minions, with their en masses "oooh” and "aahs” might bear a vague resemblance to Toy Story's little green aliens, but in the most part, this is an original and entertaining offering.

Despicable Me (cert U) is released October 15 nationwide. Do you agree with our review? Let us know your verdict!