The Taming Of The GRU

Illumination Entertainment made their name with the DESPICABLE ME franchise and as Gru returns this summer in the third instalment, STARBURST takes a look at what to expect...

- Jack Bottomley

What is it about baddies that is so enigmatic? From the earliest days of cinema, we have often found that, despite the fact we know the heroes are mostly in the right (not always though, remember that philandering Michael Douglas in Fatal Attraction), it is the villains who absorb us and entertain us the most. From classic Disney villains (Maleficent, Jafar, Ratigan, Ursula) to - metaphorical and literal - moustache-swirling actors like Alan Rickman (Die Hard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), Tim Curry (Stephen King’s It, Legend, Three Musketeers, Mighty Max), Christopher Lee (Star Wars prequels, Dracula, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies) and Gary Oldman (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Fifth Element, Hannibal), we love watching baddies. In fact, this is something that is becoming bigger as the years advance, as bad guys and gals are becoming the focus of big movies; see recent examples in Megamind and Suicide Squad. However, one of the most successful villain-centric capers of recent times is Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me. Back in 2010, this badly behaved animated family film not only kicked off this studio’s impressive run in style, it created a franchise in its cinematic evil laboratory and grew (or should that be Gru?) characters that have since feverishly acquired a mainstream following.