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’s family, including their mischievous new addition, Gru Jr., must go into the witness protection program in the hopes that the AVL (Anti-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.

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.

PARENTAL NOTES

Important Information for Parents

Our Parental Notes flag the material parents may want to know about before pressing play, including profanity, blasphemy, adult content, extreme violence, frightening intensity, hyper-stimulating sequences, and other family-content concerns.

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