The stars of birthday party themes and Facebook memes have returned to the theatres as Gru and his minions are dragged into yet another adventure. The family, immune to a normal lifestyle, takes on new challenges this summer(and villains).
Despicable Me 4, directed by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage, is a movie sure to keep children entertained this July. The new installment brings new characters to the series like Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy’s son, Gru Jr who inherited Gru’s unmistakable nose, Poppy Prescott, an aspiring villain who lives next door and Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), the antagonist of this film. .
In the fourth rendition of this series, we are introduced to the rivalry between Maxim and Gru. This feud has been stewing since a ninth-grade talent show during their time at the famous academy for villains, Lycee Pas Bon. We begin our story in the alumni meet at the academy in a Hogwarts-esque setting where Gru, assisted by the AVL, has Maxime arrested. |
During his incarceration, Maxime’s humiliation bubbles over into vengeance and sets to seek revenge on Gru and his family...
The story unfolds as we watch Gru and his family are whisked away from the comforts of domestic bliss in a story filled with slapstick comedy, Marvel references and a storyline to create a range of expressions on our faces.
Where would this franchise be without the minions? The banana-loving creatures are memorable in each movie and are up to their usual shenanigans once again. The pranks and games they play on each other, while a bit repetitive, still provide the laughs that boost the popularity of this franchise. They have their own plotline which references The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man 2. Despite retaining a vague ending, this plotline adds to the nuances of this film.
Despicable Me 4 is saturated with subplots and it seems that they threw an excessive amount of ideas into a pot to cook up this movie. A few scenes seemed redundant and a few plot lines hit dead ends but their target demographic is children and it seems the movie was written keeping their oscillating attention in mind. Like most franchises, the writing becomes a tad sloppy following the second or the third movie. The poor writing for a few scenes was revived with comedic filler scenes like Poppy and her cat, vanquishing the scores on the dance machine or Lucy’s chase scene which appeared to be inspired by a scene from The Terminator.
The soundtrack gives a wave of nostalgia with songs by Culture Club and Tears for Fears and it balances it out with pop hits by BTS and Pharell Williams. While there are issues with the film, it is disguised under slapstick comedy and silly plots that will make you chuckle. Illumination has brought this lovable franchise to the screens yet again with a fun movie to enjoy with your children or your friends.
Film: Despicable Me 4
Direction: Chris Renaud, Patrick Delage
Rating: 3/5