THE BALD TRUTH (DESPICABLE ME 2)

In an industry where money talks, it's not that hard to understand why 'Despicable Me 2' has hit our cinema screens.

Its predecessor returned $543 million at the box office on an animated film made on a budget of $69 million.

It featured the adventures of Dara O Briain lookalike Gru (voiced in an exaggerated Eastern European accent by Steve Carrell), his English scientist assistant Dr Nefario (Russell Brand) and their army of tiny yellow Minions as they set out to shrink and steal the Moon following competition from a rival villain, Victor 'Vector' Perkins (Jason Siegel).

Gru's villainous instincts are tested when he adopts three little girls to unwittingly help him overcome Vector and they end up melting his ice cold heart - the bright eldest girl Margo (voiced by 'iCarly' star Miranda Cosgrove), the tomboyish Edith (Dana Gaier) and the cute (in both senses of the word), youngest child Agnes (Elsie Kate Fisher).

'Despicable Me' was undemanding, crowd pleasing entertainment for the under-10s - with the gibberish talking Minions and their slapstick violence a particular hit with youngsters.

And while Universal Pictures' movie may have played out like a 180 degree take on Disney-Pixar's 'The Incredibles', it lacked the sophisticated belly laughs of that movie or that studio's 'Toy Story' series, 'Monsters Inc' or 'The Princess and the Frog'.

'Despicable Me' has been a constant presence, however, in our house these past few weeks ever since UTV aired it and we recorded it on on Freeview+ for our junior film critic.

No doubt, other parents have been experiencing the same thing these past few weeks but it has been played so much, we can recite whole chunks of dialogue from the movie.

And with McDonalds pitching up with Minions toys to accompany Happy Meals, it's inevitable that, like it or lump it, you will be dragged along by your moppet at the start of the summer to multiplexes to see the sequel.

'Despicable Me 2' picks up from the first movie with Gru in an apparent state of domestic bliss - roasting chickens and dressing up as a Fairytale Princess for Agnes' birthday.

However the girls believe there is something missing from his life - a woman who could make Gru truly happy and complete this unconventional family unit.

It turns out the family are under surveillance, with agents from the Anti-Villain League looking to recruit Gru and pick his brains about a new super villain who has used a giant magnet to steal a serum from a remote laboratory that can turn harmless creatures into killing machines.

After the departure of Dr Nefario from his team, who is fed up with making foul tasting jam and longs for a return to a villainous life, Gru decides to take up an offer by Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan) to become an undercover agent in a shopping mall for the Anti-Villain League.

He is paired with agent Lucy Wilde (voiced by 'Bridesmaids' star Kirsten Wiig) and they are romantically drawn to each other while pretending to be the owners of a cupcake store and spying on other shop and restaurant owners in the mall.

Their spy operation focusses on two suspects, Mexican restaurant owner Edouardo (Benjamin Bratt) and wig store owner Floyd Eagle-San (Ken Jeong).

But will they be able to decipher who the villain is and stop his plans for world domination?

Like its predecessor, Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul's plot for 'Despicable Me 2' hardly stretches its audience with its broad brush characterisations and its crude, brash humour - a 21 fart gun salute and sniggering at the mention of Ramsbottom's name kind of sums up the level of sophistication in Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud's movie.

Carrell, Wiig, Coogan, Brand, Cosgrove and the rest of the cast turn in competent performances despite some heavily signposted jokes.

But, if the readings on my Laughometer were right, they are upstaged by the Minions who once again steal the show for the under-10s.

Although it must be said Benjamin Bratt does a game job stepping into the role of Edouardo which was originally earmarked for Al Pacino.

While the animation is decent like a lot of family movies these days, 'Despicable Me 2' still comes up short if you measure it against the high watermarks of non-Disney fare like 'How To Train Your Dragon', 'Puss In Boots' or 'Madagascar 3'.

Not that the under-10s will care. 

They'll thoroughly enjoy this movie - just like the junior film critic in our house - and it will no doubt be a welcome respite from what may well be another typically damp British and Irish summer.

In the face of your children's pleas to go see 'Despicable Me 2', you'll just have to face the bald truth.

You're going to have to put your hands up, surrender to the fart gun and hope that Disney-Pixar's 'Monster's University' renews your faith this summer in more sophisticated animated fare.

('Despicable Me 2' opened in UK and Irish cinemas on June 28, 2013. This review originally appeared on Eamonnmallie.com)