There are so many movies within the Despicable Me franchise that I've lost count of all the storylines in each. While I've never been a big fan of these movies, they at least always felt exciting. However, this fourth installment in the Gru storyline is little more than a dud. The silliness and excitement are there for younger audiences, but the film lacks heart.
One of the main problems with the Despicable Me movies is the tendency to pile on more characters just to add celebrity voices to the cast. This fourth movie is no exception. While the addition of new characters can sometimes breathe fresh life into a franchise, here it feels like a missed opportunity to develop a more heartfelt story. For instance, the introduction of a new, younger female character named Poppy as a heist partner for Gru could have been a chance to add depth. However, it might have been more impactful to see Gru partnering with his oldest daughter, who is now a teenager. This would have added a layer of connection and growth between Gru and his daughter, showcasing his evolving role as a father.
The film also introduces a subplot where some Minions are turned into a superhero team, only to be used in the movie for less than 10 minutes. This subplot feels like a wasted narrative thread that could have added excitement and depth to the story. Additionally, one of the main Minions, Ralph, is stuck on a vending machine for the entirety of the movie, reducing his role to a mere gag. This sidelining of key characters in favor of introducing new ones dilutes the emotional core that could have made the story more engaging.
While my son enjoyed the movie, which makes sense for his age range, it’s important for these films to also entertain the parents who are watching with their children. The earlier movies in the franchise managed to strike a balance between humor for kids and clever moments for adults. This installment, however, feels more like a series of gags strung together rather than a cohesive story with emotional weight.
If there are more films in the Despicable Me series, I believe it’s time to hang it up. However, if the franchise continues, I will wait for streaming to watch them because I am not interested in seeing them in theaters. The magic that made the original films entertaining for a broad audience seems to have faded, and without a significant shift in storytelling, future installments are likely to feel just as lackluster.
If it's not sacrilegious to say, I think this franchise is starting to run out of steam - the plot here isn't very original. The family "Gru" have a new child who doesn't much take to his father which only makes matters worse when arch-nemesis "Maxime Le Mal" - who is intent on turning everyone into cockroaches - escapes from custody bent on revenge on the man who put him in jail in the first place. Better safe than sorry, "Silas" relocates the family to a safe house where they have to pretend to fit in with the vacuous tennis club set, but one of that number - the feisty "Poppy" knows the secret and blackmails "Gru" into helping her pinch "Lenny" the badger from under the eyes of the diminutive "Principal Übelschlecht" at his alma mater. This adventure narks the headmistress and when she sees some video of the perpetrators, she's straight on to the phone with "Maxime" who hatches a plan to steal the baby and give him wings! The minions - and the newly formed and enhanced "Super Minions" - still manage to have some fun here as they discover their new home has a vending machine and an endless supply of popcorn, and there is some wit in the dialogue but the story itself is all pretty derivative and the animation looks a little too tired now. What was ground-breaking looks so much less now and the writing and characterisations are nothing special anymore. It does liven up for the last ten minutes, but the previously innovative and enjoyable mix of menace and mayhem has largely gone.
