Critics Consensus

Critics Consensus: Despicable Me 2 is Certified Fresh

Plus, a strong cast can't mask The Lone Ranger's faults.

by | July 3, 2013 | Comments

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This week at the movies, we’ve got an army of minions (Despicable Me 2, with voice work by Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig) and a legendary masked man (The Lone Ranger, starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer). What do the critics have to say?

Despicable Me 2

75%

Those jovial, irrepressible minions are back. Critics say Despicable Me 2 isn’t as fresh as its predecessor, but it’s goofy, colorful, and often very funny. This time out, erstwhile bad guy Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is recruited by the Anti-Villain League agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) to stop a criminal mastermind. Gru takes a shine to Lucy, and the minions make plenty of mischief. The pundits say the Certified Fresh Despicable Me 2 should delight the kiddies, and though it isn’t particularly deep, it’s sweet, silly, and energetic.

The Lone Ranger

31%

Bad news, Kemosabe: critics say Gore Verbinski‘s big-budget adaptation of The Lone Ranger is bombastic, overlong, and altogether misguided, stranding its strong cast in a plot that succumbs to jarring tonal shifts. Tonto (Johnny Depp) narrates the tale of the Lone Ranger (Arnie Hammer), a lawyer-cum-masked vigilante who vows revenge after a murderous psychopath kills his brother; what follows is a series of shootouts and chases against the picturesque backdrop of the old West. The pundits say Depp and Hammer are charming leads, but they’re surrounded by a film that can never decide whether it’s an action flick, a comedy, or a revisionist drama.

Also opening this week in limited release: