Critics Consensus

Critics Consensus: Despicable Me Is Certified Fresh

Plus, Predators is a bloody good time.

by Tim Ryan | July 9, 2010 | Comments

This week at the movies, we’ve got a suburban supervillain (Despicable Me, featuring voice work from Steve Carell and Jason Segel) and mandibled monsters (Predators, starring Adrien Brody and Alice Braga). What do the critics have to say?

80%

Despicable Me

It’s always nice when a non-Pixar CGI feature dispenses with the lowest-common-denominator gags and shows off its smarts. Critics say that’s one of the many reasons to love Despicable Me, which they call a witty, delightfully weird film that should appeal to kids and adults. In his quiet suburban neighborhood, Gru (Steve Carell) is plotting one of the most diabolical heists in history, and he might get away with it if not for a group of meddling kids. The pundits say the Certified Fresh Despicable Me is both a visual treat and a gleefully silly romp with strong voice performances.

65%

Predators

Futuristic, brutal, and counting two future governors among its alumni, Predator was among the most memorable action/horror films of the 1980s. And critics say Predators, the latest installment of the franchise, offers rock-solid, old school thrills and stands alongside the original. On a distant planet, a group of criminals are hunted mercilessly by the titular baddies, until a strong-willed soldier (Adrien Brody) rounds up a posse to fight back. The pundits say Predators is a good old fashioned action flick that’s stylish and bloody — and should satisfy the fanboys.(Check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we run down star Laurence Fishburne’s best-reviewed films.)

Also opening this week in limited release:

The Kids Are All Right, starring Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo in a dramedy about a family that is upended by the appearence of a sperm donor father, is at 93 percent.
Winnebago Man, a documentary about the strange life of the foulmouthed RV salesman who became a YouTube legend, is at 93 percent.
Grease Sing-a-Long, during which everyone in the theater belts out tunes from the Certified Fresh classic, is at 83 percent (check out our countdown of Certified Fresh musicals here.).
[Rec] 2, which, like its predecessor, documents the scary goings-on within a quarantined apartment building, is at 74 percent.
The Girl Who Played With Fire, the follow up to The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, is at 62 percent.
Nouvelle vague legend Jacques Rivette’s Around A Small Mountain, a tale of intrigue within a traveling circus, is at 57 percent.