Despicable Me 4: A Disappointing but Innocuous Addition to the Franchise_
The Despicable Me franchise has always been a mixed bag for me. I loathed the first installment, adored the second, and found the first Minions spinoff to be mildly entertaining. The third installment’s shtick felt stale, but the second Minions film pleasantly surprised me. Unfortunately, the latest installment, Despicable Me 4, falls on the lower end of the spectrum.
The new movie finds reformed supervillain Gru at odds with his old high school rival, the cockroach-obsessed Maxime Le Mal.
The movie’s premise, which involves Gru (Steve Carell) facing off against his old high school rival, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), has potential. The idea of a high school for aspiring supervillains is intriguing and could have been explored further. However, the execution falls flat.
The story follows Gru and his family as they’re forced to go into hiding after Maxime escapes from prison. Each family member gets their own B-story, with Lucy (Kristen Wiig) trying to become a hairdresser, Edith (Dana Gaier) standing up for Agnes (Madison Polan) at karate class, and Margot (Miranda Cosgrove) getting a measly three lines. Gru, meanwhile, tries to endear himself to his snooty neighbor (Steven Colbert), but ends up getting blackmailed into pulling off a heist with the neighbor’s aspiring-villain daughter Poppy (Joey King).
Gru tries to endear himself to his snooty neighbor, but ends up getting blackmailed into pulling off a heist.
The Minions, voiced by Pierre Coffin, get their own subplot where some of them receive superpowers from the Anti-Villain League boss Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan). However, this thread doesn’t quite work, as the Minions were already capable of impressive feats without superpowers.
Almost all of the spoken jokes are painful, even.
The chemistry between Carell and Ferrell, which was expected to elevate the material, falls flat. The movie also misses an opportunity to capitalize on the potential for a Gru/Megamind crossover, despite both characters starring in 2010 animated movies about supervillains turning their lives around.
A wheelchair equipped with monster truck tires provides one of the few laughable moments in the movie.
Despite its shortcomings, Despicable Me 4 is an innocuous addition to the franchise. The animation is still pleasing, and the new baby is undoubtedly adorable. However, the script lacks attention, and characters and storylines are underdeveloped.
Despicable Me 4 is too innocuous to make me truly mad, and the animation is as bouncy and pleasing as ever.
Grade: C-
Rated PG for action and rude humor. Running time: 95 minutes.
