Despicable Me 2 is one of the most anticipated films of the summer, and we’ve been looking forward to it since the original film debuted three years ago. Although not quite as fantastic as the first film, Despicable Me 2 still provides plenty of laughs and is a fun film to see.

After the one-time world villain Gru (Steve Carell) adopted his three daughters, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher), he stopped being a villain and focused on a more positive career – making jelly. However, a secret laboratory in the Arctic was stolen by a giant magnet-ship, and the Anti-Villain League became wary of this upon realizing it had serum that can turn any living creature into a killing machine.

Knowing that Gru is no longer a criminal, they kidnap him to potentially pick his brain and use him as mole to learn of its whereabouts. While originally reluctant, Gru agrees after Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) leaves Gru because he misses being evil. Gru and his new partner, Lucy (Kristen Wiig) try and track down the robber, through awkward romantic moments.

As a sequel to the 2010 film, Despicable Me 2 features more minions, more cute moments, and a significant amount of more romance than the first film. All of the returning characters are just as pleasant, charming, and hilarious as they were before, and develop their characters even further – Margo dabbles in romance, and Gru, who is no longer evil, becomes an overprotective father and shows his softer side even more than he did in the first film.

Although not quite as fantastic as the original, Despicable Me 2 is still very well done and is a fun summer movie for anyone to see. It has a bit of a slow beginning, but eventually picks up and keeps the audience engaged throughout the remainder of the film. The original was also a bit more mysterious and adventurous, as Gru was a villain, and the sequel tends to be a little lighter and cheerful.

Kristen Wiig voiced Miss Hattie, the evil manager of the orphanage, in the original and this time, voices a new character, Lucy. Again, her character is drastically different than her part in the original, but she still pulls off a fantastic performance and compliments the Steve Carell’s humor very nicely. Perfectly timed jokes for adults and children are often made and enjoyed.

The amount of minions – both in screen time and actual quantity featured in the film – is exponentially greater in Despicable Me 2 than the original. Clearly, Illumination Entertainment picked up on the fantastic reception of the minions from the 2010 film, and used that to their great advantage. Not only are there more fantastic moments and more hilarious scenes in the sequel, but we also have the Minion movie to look forward to soon!

Overall, Despicable Me 2 is a fantastic film that will undoubtedly make you laugh. More cheerful than the original, it doesn’t quite have the same justice and greatness as the 2010 film, but is still a fun film and is very much worth watching in theaters.

Grade: B+

Rated: PG (for rude humor and mild action)

Despicable Me 2 opens in theaters on July 3.