I think the original Despicable Me was only so-so but I would say that it is more of a B movie and this one is closer to a C+ if that gives you some sense of scale.
What Works: Ummm…well, if you had a good time with the first one you’ll probably only check your watch once during this one. And those Minions are still pretty entertaining, plus the new purple ones are a nice twist.
What Doesn’t Work: I could barely remember anything about this movie a few hours after I saw it. To say it’s so light it practically evaporates while you’re watching it would be accurate, and the villain (originally voiced by Al Pacino, replaced by Benjamin Bratt) isn’t memorable at all. The biggest and most negative change is in softening Steve Carell’s Gru to the point of neutering him. In the first film, he was a spiky villain and now the nastiest thing you could picture him doing is letting cupcakes burn. It’s not the most exciting change.
What I Would Have Done Differently: I just think that if you’re really in the market for a quality family film sequel, you should watch Monsters University instead.