Steve Carell, Jason Segel and Russell Brand in the Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud movie ‘Despicable Me’

Lightening things up today with a look at the animated movie Despicable Me (2010), we bring to you a movie directed by the team of Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. The screenplay was written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio based on a story by Sergio Pablos. The Minions franchise, when considered in timeline order rather than release order, can be watched as Minions (2015), Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) as reviewed here, Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2 (2013), Despicable Me 3 (2017) and the pending release Despicable Me 4 (2024).

(From back, Steve Carell as Gru, Pierre Coffin as the Minions, Chris Renaud as Dave and Jemaine Clement as Jerry in the Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud movie Despicable Me).

The movie introduces supervillain Gru, as voiced by Steve Carell, with a plan to steal the moon. Gru’s elderly assistant, Dr. Nefario as voiced by Russell Brand, and a host of Minions voiced by Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud and Jermaine Clement, are there both to aid the villainous plan and offer cute comedic and interpersonal shenanigans that simultaneously sidetrack and assist the cause.

(Jason Segel as Vector in the Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud movie Despicable Me).

Gru’s own personality additionally factors in on a pair of levels. First there is personal jealousy when a rival named Vector, as voiced Jason Segel, steals the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Second, Dr. Nefario points out that the effort to steal the moon is expensive; this leads to a loan from Mr. Perkins, the director of the Bank of Evil as voiced by Will Arnett. Perkins demands that Gru to steal a shrink ray before being granted the loan.

(From left, Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario and and Kristen Wiig as Miss Hattie in the Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud movie Despicable Me).

Adding to the plot is the great aid of introducing familial considerations. The charming introduction included a crossover between Vector and three sisters named Margo, Edith and Agnes, the three sisters voiced by Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher, respectively. Gru devises a plan to adopt the girls with the assistance of Miss Hattie, as voiced by Kristen Wiig.

(From left, Elsie Fisher as Agnes, Dana Gaier as Edith, Julie Andrews as Gru’s mother and Miranda Cosgrove as Margo in the Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud movie Despicable Me).

The story of Despicable Me engages on many levels, with the support of Gru’s mother as voiced by Julie Andrews, supporting the adoption storyline. Roles for Mindy Kaling and Jack McBrayer also add charm to an otherwise strong action, comedic movie. The movies and shorts that have come to life following the this first release in the series expresses just how solid of a connection this movie has for audiences.

(From left, Will Arnett as Mr. Perkins and Steve Carell as Gru in the Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud movie Despicable Me).

If looking for an animated movie that offers things for a wide audience with family-friendly messaging, my rating of 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5 for Despicable Me as directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud says watch the movie.

Matt – Saturday, March 30, 2024

Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston and Billy Crudup in the Ridley Scott movie ‘Alien: Covenant’

A second Ridley Scott prequel to the movie Alien (1979) is our subject today. With the franchise original reviewed by Matt Lynn Digital here, and the first prequel Prometheus (2012) reviewed here, we pickup the tale for how the menace we first encountered back in 1979 came to exist as the menace we first cinematically met some 44-years ago. The name of this movie is Alien: Covenant (2017).

(From left, Guy Pearce as Peter Weyland and Michael Fassbender as David in the Ridley Scott movie Alien: Covenant).

The story of Alien: Covenant picks up neither with the remaining crew of Prometheus expedition, of the 2012 movie Prometheus, nor with the crew of colonization ship Covenant. Instead, we are given a prologue that predates the both movies with the introduction of the android David, whose role had been instrumental in the original prequel movie. We see David with his creator, Peter Weyland, in the moments following David’s animation. Guy Pearce and Michael Fassbender portrayed Weyland and David, respectively.

(From left, Billy Crudup as Christopher Oram, Katherine Waterston as Daniels and Michael Fassbender as Walter One in the Ridley Scott movie Alien: Covenant).

Eleven years after the Prometheus expedition, we meet the crew of the expedition ship Covenant. The Covenant, with 2000 colonists in stasis and 1,140 human embryos preserved for future life, is seven years from the planet the flight intends to colonize, Origae-6. Walter, an advanced android that resembles David and is portrayed by Michael Fassbender, wakes his 14 human crewmates when a solar flare damages the ship. In the reanimation process, ship’s captain Jake Branson, as portrayed by James Franco, dies.

(From left, Danny McBride as Tennessee and Amy Seimetz as Maggie Faris in the Ridley Scott movie Alien: Covenant).

It is during the ship repairs that a human voice from a habitable nearby planet captures the attention of the Covenant. Despite the arguments against investigating this nearby planet as made by Branson’s widow, Daniels as portrayed by Katherine Waterston, new captain Christopher Oram decides the crew will investigate. The investigation takes them to the planet encountered by the Prometheus expedition, which is where the group encounters David, eventually learning the fate of Dr. Elizabeth Shaw of that original expedition. Oram was portrayed by Billy Crudup. Carmen Ejogo portrayed Oram’s wife, Karine Oram. Noomi Repace portrayed Shaw.

(From left, Nathaniel Dean as Tom Hallett and Demián Bichir as Dan Lope in the Ridley Scott movie Alien: Covenant).

The investigation of the planet sees husband Tennessee keep Covenant afloat in orbit as his wife, Maggie Faris, flies a lander to the planet’s surface. Danny McBride and Amy Seimitz portrayed the pair, respectively. The action and horror of this science fiction movie take off at this point with the experiments of David driving many of the storylines that follow. The personal connections among characters that underpins much of the remaining story development does the movie credit in avoiding some of the problems present with the David Fincher directed Alien 3 (1992).

(From left, Carmen Ejogo as Karine Oram, Jussie Smollett as Ricks and Callie Hernandez as Upworth in the Ridley Scott movie Alien: Covenant).

The movie Alien: Covenant did much to align the Prometheus movie with the Alien franchise overall. What remains of the prequel stories, especially in what becomes of the characters portrayed by Katherine Waterson and Michael Fassbender in getting to the character portrayed Sigourney Weaver, remains a fascinating possibility to be explored. It is from this place that I grant the movie Alien: Covenant as directed by Ridley Scott 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five stars.

Matt – Wednesday, April 19, 2023