Despicable Me 4

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Even though we all know that this is just another chapter in a series that can make some serious bank off those Minions, it's nice to see that despite a couple of rough entries into the series, it hasn't entirely lost its heart. If I were to compare this to one of the chapters in the series as far as quality goes, I would probably put it up against 'DM2', as it offers more growth to Gru's family (without his annoying brother), balances the cute moments between the girls and the Minions well, and offers more genuine laughs while still being a warmhearted story.

We're at a point in the game now where audiences are going to be split about a few things concerning the film. Most obviously, the Minions have been running amok in the public eye for years now, and it's understandable that many will just be tired enough by now to avoid seeing this. But beyond that, it has been going as a series since 2010, so by now, some people who enjoyed it as kids are also starting to really outgrow the cutesy stuff this series is so well-known for. I get that some people are just plain done with it. That said, I plan to review this as more of a hanger-on to the series, as I'm still a fan, so non-fans need not continue.

As the film opens, Gru (Steve Carell) heads to a villain reunion at his old villain school Lycée Pas Bon (which translates quite literally to "Not Good High School"). Undercover, and still working for the Anti-Villain League, he's there to stop his old rival, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) before he uses his newly applied cockroach powers to take over the world. Gru is successful in his arrest, but it doesn't last when Maxime is busted out of prison with the help of his girlfriend, Valentina (Sofía Vergara).

Maxime has been holding onto a grudge against Gru for ages now, as Gru stole his act for the school talent show when they were kids. Now this grudge becomes tenfold, and Maxime intends on using a machine he's developed to turn people into human/cockroach hybrids directly on Gru and Lucy's newborn son, Gru Jr. With this, head of AVL, Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan) forces Gru and his family into the witness protection program in order to protect Gru's growing family.

With that, the family all take on new identities, even though Agnes (Madison Skyy Polan) has trouble with lying being "wrong," and five Minions who have been taken in by the AVL are subjected to a super serum that gives them each super powers. This may very well be the best part of the movie, as it eventually provides commentary on how destructive superheroes can be, even though they're trying to do what's right. Quite frankly, I found the Minions to funnier there than they've been in a while - especially the poor guy who gets caught in a vending machine that no one seems to care about.

Something else I appreciated about this story was that the B story to it mostly involved Gru as well, instead of the movie playing on the cuteness of the girls/minions for it. While in witness protection, Gru meets a young neighbour girl named Poppy Prescott (Joey King) who knows who he is, and wants to learn from him on how to become a villain. I won't get into spoiler territory concerning what it all leads up to, but altogether, I appreciated seeing something that lent itself to a bit of character development as opposed to... y'know, looking for unicorns.

I think as long as you're anything like me and still have that soft spot for these characters, it's a perfectly enjoyable film, and a huge step forward from 'DM3'. It is nice to see the series seemingly finding its footing again. I don't know how much more life this series has in it, but as long as it continues down this kind of path, I'll keep coming to these movies just for that breath of innocent and fun fresh air we all need once in a while. As long as we keep the Minions and the girls as cute side characters and not main focuses, I'm here for it.

3/5

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