‘Despicable?' More Like Delightful

"Despicable Me" was a pleasant surprise for me. Its plot reminds me of Mad magazine's "Spy Vs. Spy" where two evil spies try to one-up each other with tricks and gadgetry.

Here, two criminal masterminds, our "hero" Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and Vector (voiced by Jason Segal) face off with each other. Tipping the scale in this battle of super villains are three orphan girls. That's not to mention the delightful Minions, little bugged-eyed yellow monsters that are a real riot and steal every scene they're in.

The laughs are plentiful here. The animation is top notch. I found "Despicable Me" to be the only recent 3D movie that I've seen in the theater that actually took advantage of its 3D format. Watching the segment in the amusement park pop off the screen in the cineplex simply dazzled me.

In fact, I first saw the movie's trailer in 3D right before watching "Toy Story 3" (clearly the best movie released this year and a must-get on home video). Its effective 3D effects made the Disney film look flat in comparison.

If you're one of the lucky few that has 3D gear running in your media room (I'm not one, so pity me), I'd seriously consider getting the four-disc set that includes a 3D copy of the film.

At least I got one of those old-fashioned blu-ray players, so the three-disc set works fine for me, which includes a blu-ray, DVD and digital copy. There's also a double pack and single DVD version.

The typical bonus materials are found here, with behind-the-scenes featurettes and such. The best added features (and not found in the single DVD) are the three mini-movies (about four minutes each), "Home Makeover," "Orientation Day" and "Banana," all featuring the Minions. "Banana," which has several Minions fighting over the titled fruit, is easily the best one.

"Gru-Control" is a fun alternative in watching the movie as various characters pop up with funny antics intercut into the film. Before the movie even starts, we get Gru and Vector battling over the TV's remote control that will turn on the movie. Besides humorous hijinks, the occassional factoid will pop up, such as Steve Carell discussing his character. If you've never seen the film, don't watch this version first as it may leave you confused as to what's really going on. This feature is only available on the blu-ray.

Besides the main feature, here's what is on the different versions. The single DVD contains:

• The World of "Despicable Me"
• Despicable Beats
• Gru's Rocket Builder
• A Global Effort
• Despicable Me game previews
• Commentary with directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin

The DVD double pack has the above and:

• Three mini-movies
• The voices of "Despicable Me"
• Super Silly Fun Land
• A digital copy of the film

The blu-ray also contains:

• Gru-Control
• Miss Hattie's Top Secret Cookie Recipe
• pocket BLU - apps for iPhone and iPad
• uHear - This feature skips back a few seconds and turns on the subtitles.

With so many options, it would be "despicable" to miss out on such a fun cartoon.