Despicable Me 4

Despicable Me 4 is a children’s movie. That about sums it up.
63/100316476
Starring
Steve Carrell, Kristen Wiig, Joey King
Directors
Chris Renaud, Patrick Delage
Rating
PG
Genre
Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Release date
July 3, 2024
Overall Score
Rating Overview
Story/Plot
Visuals/Cinematography
Performances
Direction
Parent appeal
Children Suitability
Non-Wokeness
Rating Summary
With a main plot that takes a distant backseat to its many subplots and a thinly veiled commercial for what will no doubt be a future Super Minions film, Despicable Me isn't exactly soulless, but it is uninspired and uninspiring. Children will get a kick out of its simplistic and by the numbers slapstick humor, however, it offers little else.
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Spanning multiple sequels and spin-offs, the Despicable Me films chronicle Gru’s journey from villainy to heroism, all while maintaining a light-hearted, comedic touch. With Steve Carell’s distinctive voice bringing Gru to life, the franchise has become a beloved staple in modern animation.

Despicable Me 4

In Despicable Me 4, Gru, the reformed supervillain, faces a new nemesis named Maxime Le Mal. Mal is bent on revenge after Gru and his minions embarrass and capture him at their school for villains class reunion. Now, Gru’es family, including their mischievous new addition, Gru Jr., must go into the witness protection program in the hopes that the AVL (Anit-Villian League) will be able to stop Mal in time.

 

Despicable Me 4 Review

The animation is terrific, and the voice actors are worlds better than the material, but what does it matter if the audience doesn’t care about what’s going on? Gru is now a fully realized individual; his children are generally happy and well-adjusted, and everyone’s personal issues have more or less already been dealt with in past films. The only thing left for the series would be to embark on a simple and straightforward action flick with identifiable stakes that challenge its cast of lovable characters and grip audiences.

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Unfortunately, easily the weakest entry in the franchise, Despicable Me 4 lacks the focus of the others as much as the heart. Instead of lasering in on a single story, it meanders from one uninspired and disconnected slapstick subplot to the next, waiting to finally kick in its underwhelming main plot until an hour into its hour-and-a-half runtime. By then, there’s too little reason to care.

Young children will likely enjoy the film for its juvenile and obvious gags, but parents who snore may want to nap before watching. Better yet, ditch the kiddos and go watch Thelma.

 

Despicable Me 4 INAPPROPRIATE ELEMENTS

Dookie
  • There’s a pet goat that we see poop on the floor as a gag.
Oh God
  • It’s difficult to tell, but Gru may say “oh God” once,
Dial M for Murder
  • There is a brief, intense scene in which the villain attempts to murder Gru, and it is not cartoonish in any way.

 

WOKE ELEMENTS

Keep Looking
  • Nothing that I saw.

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James Carrick

James Carrick is a passionate film enthusiast with a degree in theater and philosophy. James approaches dramatic criticism from a philosophic foundation grounded in aesthetics and ethics, offering insight and analysis that reveals layers of cinematic narrative with a touch of irreverence and a dash of snark.

3 comments

  • Tboi

    July 17, 2024 at 7:24 am

    I saw this last night, and i didn’t see any wokeness either. The terminator 2 scene was funny

    Reply

  • sunnit

    October 28, 2024 at 10:15 pm

    The super minions “helped” what looked like a man who got his purse stolen.
    The trophy for the villain award was very symbolic of the devil.

    Reply

  • sunnit

    November 11, 2024 at 1:25 pm

    Correction on the man purse. I watched it again, and it is a small backpack.

    Reply

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