Gru is back and this time he's on baby-watching duty in Despicable Me 4, which features fun family hijinks, more outlandish accents, and MEGA MINIONS? It's bananas!
Despicable Me 4 Review
It's been 14 years since we were first introduced to the super-villain Gru (Steve Carell) who adopted three young sisters in order to use them to steal the moon. But instead of completing his nefarious plan, he and his yellow gibberish spewing Minions (Pierre Coffin), turned their lives around and became good, due to genuinely caring for the girls. Since then, the franchise has spawned sequels, spinoffs, shorts, video games, and theme park rides. The newest addition, Despicable Me 4, features solid laughs, heartwarming moments, and even more outlandish accents.
Gru's villain days are long behind him and after the events of Despicable Me 3, he is once again working with the Anti-Villain League, or the AVL, in order to thwart baddies trying to destroy (or rule) the world. He's still married to the quirky Lucy (Kristen Wiig). And along with their daughters Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Madison Polan), are now the parents of a new baby, Gru Jr. A running gag throughout the film is how the baby is not a fan of his dad. Soon their peaceful lives are interrupted when Gru's former boarding school nemesis, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), threatens him and his family. The AVL quickly packs up the Gru family and moves them and three Minions (the rest go to headquarters) into a safe house but it doesn't stay safe for long.
By uprooting the characters, directors Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage (with a script from Ken Daurio Mike White) give themselves room to create new challenges for their core family. As the oldest, Margo struggles with being a tween at a new school– Teens are the worst she laments at one point. Edith takes to the new identities easily, she gets to lie without getting in trouble and kick some dojo butt in the process. Agnes has the toughest time because she must leave her sweet Lucky behind and also lie, which she does not want to do. Lucy meanwhile is thrilled to try her hand at her new occupation while Gru is encouraged to be less like himself and more like an average suburban dad. All of that alone sounds like it would be the perfect plot for the film, but it ends up just being one of many.
Aside from the subplots of each family member adjusting to their new lives, they must all deal with trying to stay hidden from Maxine. Gru's arch nemesis happens to be very powerful thanks to his cockroach powers and cockroach army– yes you read that right, yes it's kinda gross, and yes my skin crawled more than once. As if that isn't enough, Gru is also blackmailed by his new neighbors' teenage daughter Poppy (Joey King). She has a plan for a heist back at his old boarding school for villains and needs Gru's help. Then there are the Minions having their own movie within a movie thanks to Silas Ramsbottom's (Steve Coogan) plans to be the Nick Fury of Despicable Me.
Fresh out of retirement, Silas has big plans for a new radiation enhancement procedure the AVL has been working on. So he takes five Minions and puts them into a Captain America like contraption and blasts them with energy. When they emerge, they all have Marvel-esque powers: Jerry and Tim now have the abilities of the Fantastic Four's Ben Grimm and Reed Richards, Dave is strong like the Hulk, Gus can fly, and Mel is Cyclops, shooting lasers out of his eye. If you thought this would lead to some Mega Minions wiping out Maxine's army of roaches a la Avengers Endgame style you will be disappointed. The superhero Minions are off doing their own thing, haphazardly saving citizens in need. Because with great powers comes no increase in intelligence. Without a doubt it's hilarious to watch, and the Minions are once again the scene-stealers, but it would've been fun to see them gain a little more smarts in the process.
That's a lot to cover in just 95 minutes, especially when each plotline could be its own film (or short). The characters the most shafted by this overload are Gru's daughters. Aside from a handful of moments, he spends more time with Poppy than the girls. It makes the entire film come off a little disjointed for older audience goers who know their relationship has always been the beating heart of the franchise. Maybe Renaud felt it as well and that's why the plot zooms along with superhero speed to keep anyone from noticing how hollow it feels. However, it's not a deal breaker for the kids watching or their parents who took them to the movies. Rather it is something I hope Illumination works out before the inevitable fifth film.
While Inside Out 2 opts for humor and emotional resonance, Illumination is here to pile on the slapstick comedy and Saturday morning cartoons (think Looney Tunes) kinda laughter. Farrell's Maxine, with his own faux-French accent, is like a combination of Talladega Nights’ Jean Girard and Zoolander's Jacobim Mugatu. When he and Carell get together, it's the mashup we didn't know we needed. Maxime's accomplice/girlfriend Valentina (Sofía Vergara) may be underused but she has the perfect villainous cackle. Another fashion icon, Cruella, would be pleased. Outside of the Minions well-known shenanigans, the biggest laughs come from Gru trying desperately to bond with his baby boy who treats him with about as much love as Bugs does Elmer Fudd.
The animation gets a boost, it has been 7 years since the last one after all, with an opening sequence that almost looks too good to be in a Despicable Me film. Each action shot is bright, flashy, and eye-catching. The single shot through the Minions' office space is one of the best sequences in the film. Pharrell's fresh beats boost the energy of any given scene– Double Life is already on repeat at our house. Whether it also serves as a diss to Drake, only he can answer that. The film is also littered with some great needle drops that'll make the adults happy and their kids dance in their seats.
Verdict
In the end, Despicable Me 4 packs in fun Gru family hijinks, epic Minions action, and new characters that may or may not expand the universe in future spin offs. Although hopefully not the cockroach guy, because he's just nasty. The Mega Minions have loads of potential and I won't be surprised if they show up in at least short form for the next Illumination film. If I had it my way, the next one would go back to the basics of the first, and turn its focus inward on the family with just one random villain they also have to deal with. Regardless of the extra plots, Despicable Me 4 delivers genuine laughs, a good time, and Minions madness.
Despicable Me 4 releases in theaters July 3. It is rated PG for action and rude humor with a runtime of 95 minutes.
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