Despicable Me
A Post-Structuralist Semiotic Analysis of the Most Politically Radical Movie Series Ever Made
For the seven US citizens who’ve somehow managed to avoid seeing any of the Despicable Me movies, a brief summary is in order. The nominal protagonist of the movies is Gru, a middle-aged man whose backstory led him to aspire to become a master-criminal. The true center around which the movies turn, however, are small yellow-colored dungaree-clad creatures referred to as Minions. The other primary characters are three small girls, each evincing an archetype common within US popular culture: cutie-pie, feisty girl, and nerd.
While most who watch these movies will see simply an amusing cartoon, thanks to the profound insights of French structuralists and post-structuralists such as Ferdinand de Saussure, Jacques Derrida, and Jacques Lacan, we can see that in reality these movies are a searing commentary on the failings of capitalism, the malevolent influence of the Patriarchy, and a plea for enlightened socialism not heard since the glory days of Marxist-Leninism and the benevolent reign of Joseph Stalin.
The clues are hidden in plain sight, and we will now expose them one by one.
First comes Gru. His name tells us everything we need to know. GRU, otherwise known as Гла́вное управле́ние Генера́льного шта́ба Вооружённых Сил Росси́йской Федера́ции, is a…
