Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2010

Despicable Me: ©2010 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

A megalomaniacal criminal mastermind (oddly voiced by Steve Carell) who aspires to become the Greatest Villain of All Time cynically uses a cute trio of cookie-peddling orphans in a nefarious plan to steal the moon. If their eventual melting of his cold, evil heart comes as a surprise to you, you really need to get out to the movies more. But predictability and ragged story aside, this Universal animation is fun and fast and packed with sharp dialogue, properly developed characters and witty asides for the adults (“The Bank of Evil—formerly Lehman Brothers”). Refreshingly, no sequel is suggested.