A Russian Version of "Despicable Me"

As a general rule of thumb, I loathe dubbing. For one thing, the change of language changes the whole film. Words and entire phrases that made sense in the context of the original language, especially jokes, lose their appeal in the new context. An even larger problem is the fact that one needs a whole new set of voice actors that reinterpret the original material in their native tongue, which doesn't really gel with the original performance. That is why I prefer to watch movies in their original language, English or otherwise. If the film is in a language I do not understand, I view it with subtitles.

 

This is why it is hard for me to fairly assess the new 3D animation "Despicable Me," which appeared at the Moscow Film Festival in Russian. In this case, our main protagonist is Gru (Steve Carrel), a modern super villain who lives in a suburban neighborhood where no one seems to mind his obviously evil-looking house. When a new young villain named Vector (Jason Segel) steals Gru's status as number one villain in the world by stealing a pyramid, Gru decides to pull of the heist of the century by stealing the moon itself. But to accomplish this, he'll need the help of three orphan girls, whom he initially adopts simply to further his scheme. But as clichés dictate, Gru will obviously come to truly care for these little girls and become the father they never had.

 

The dubbing really hurts the film. Whereas the original version came with the vocal talent of Steve Carrel voicing Gru, this version came with Russian actor Andrei Yermolnik, who simply doesn't have the same effect. Gru clearly resembles Carrel and having seen his other work, he would certainly fit the part of the likeable loser. The Russian script was for the most part was painfully unfunny, although it is of course possible that this problem stems from the original version. Translation aside, I have other issues.

 

For one thing, while "Despicable Me" presents an entertaining, fun and at times certainly touching tale, it also comes off as predictable. There's really never any doubt that Gru and the girls will form an unconventional family, nor is there an attempt to go in for the darker, adult-appealing themes that characterized the works of Pixar, such as "Up" or "The Incredibles". That is a shame, since the potential is certainly there. Gru, as the film shows, lived with a mother who paid little attention to him, and the picture notably omits any reference to a father figure, implying a sad childhood. But the film never truly explores these questions, instead opting to distract audiences with flashy eye candy.

 

The action sequences involving Gru's and Vector's outlandish gadgets certainly work, but the film also loves to showcase Gru's seemingly inexhaustible supply of little yellow, alien-like henchmen, who constantly interrupt the main story with episodic gags. After a while, these little guys really start to irritate. So overall, the Russian version of "Despicable Me", is an enjoyable, competent, yet really superficial animated film. I prefer "Toy Story 3."

 

Mikhail L. Skoptsov is a staff writer. E-mail him at film@nyunews.com.