Despicable Me 4 (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – Gru, Lucy, Margo, Edith, and Agnes welcome a new member to the family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad. Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal and his girlfriend Valentina, and the family is forced to go on the run.

My Take – Love them or hate them, you just can’t ignore the Minions. Ever since the franchise began in 2010, the small, yellow pill-shaped creatures have been the mascots of Illumination. Probably the only animation studio that has come close to giving Disney and Pixar some serious competition in box office numbers over the past decade.

This latest entry too has all the hallmarks of what we have come to expect from the beloved animated franchise: an eye-popping palette, a steady stream of pop music, and a bunch of colorful characters with distinct, angular shapes, all rounded up in a yet another wild adventure filled with the same zany antics and heartwarming moments.

Directed by franchise mainstay Chris Renaud and co-written by Mike White (The White Lotus) and Ken Daurio (Migration), the new installment sees Steve Carell deliver more of his familiar Gru stuff, while also introduces a few new characters, allowing the addition of fresh dynamics into the familiar mix. And the plot packed with enough humor and action to keep viewers entertained.

Of course, as always, the minions manage to steal the show with their slapstick comedy and nonsensical chatter, providing plenty of laughs for both kids and adults.

However, after four films; technically six, if you count the two spin-off films: 2015’s Minions and 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, the series seems to be running out of steam and the ideas struggling to break any new ground. A result of which the story beats feel recycled, and the emotional beats lack the impact of earlier films.

Nevertheless, this is a franchise which has thrived on its humor and silly plots, at-least on that end, it delivers what fans have come to expect.

The story once again follows Felonious Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), the reformed criminal mastermind who now works as an agent for the Anti-Villain League (AVL), and thwarts colorful evildoers seeking to rule (or alternately destroy) the world. His latest mission sends him to attend a reunion at his school Lycée Pas Bon, the premier institution for aspiring bad guys, where he is reunited with Maxime Le Mal (voiced by Will Ferrell), a former classmate-slash-implacable-enemy.

Where Maxime, a cockroach obsessive, unveils his new invention, a device that endows him with qualities of the near-indestructible vermin. Only to be arrested by Gru and his AVL colleagues, after the latter’s dramatic presentation.

However, when Maxime escapes the Anti-Villain League’s maximum security prison, with the help of his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (voiced by Sofía Vergara), and vows revenge, Gru and his family, which includes his wife Lucy Wilde (voiced by Kristen Wiig), their biological infant son Gru Jr., and their three adopted daughters – Margo (voiced by Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (voiced by Dana Gaier), and Agnes (voiced by Madison Polan), have to move to a new town and assume new identities.

Meanwhile, most of the Minions are taken in by the AVL, where Silas Ramsbottom (voiced by Steve Coogan), the Anti-Villain League’s Q-type pompous Brit, has developed new bio-tech for evolving the little yellow minions up to a new level of crime-fighting excellence.

Indeed, Gru and his family are still as cute, cuddly, and silly as ever, and they continue to bring the silliness that will have families cracking up and enjoying being together in their adventures. The plot can sometimes feel like a chaotic mélange stretched too thin, but co-writers Mike White and Ken Daurio elevates the overall narrative by injecting a wide variety of charisma.

As always, Illumination‘s design is entertaining and unique to make exaggerated features enjoyable, whimsical, and it sticks in your mind with the vibrant colors and light.

The fate of the Minions offers some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments and impressively detailed animation. Silas enlists the gaggle of yellow beings to train as the AVL’s top agents. A select group of them undergo an experimental treatment that turns them into super Minions. Their training sequences — both at AVL headquarters and in the city — stick to the tradition of Illumination animators having fun with the Loony Tunes-style bits. The fourth film keeps to these cards and has stunning animation that is familiar, fun, and enjoyable.

Yet, despite all the fun, the film takes a hit concerning the story elements. While the tale of new fatherhood and a new place in life after some concerns with the new villain in town sounded something fresh for the franchise, the precise run time of 94 minutes cuts it down to a choppy tale of three different groups that never quite reached the potential they were going for.

That also means Maxime Le Mal and Valentina make for by far the weakest in the franchise which is bizarre because they are voiced by Will Ferrell and Sofia Vergara respectively. The mediocre villains only have a limited involvement or attachment here, making a thin backbone to build on for the sake of more silliness that had the younger members laughing up a storm.

Nevertheless, the Despicable Me franchise seems to have relaxes into its long-established characterization and storytelling, and it is impossible to deny the film’s unassuming consistency in delivering family entertainment. Though there’s an overall lack of cohesion, there is some fun to be had here as the screenplay prioritizes gags over story. Even if this is the weakest effort in the franchise, it still manages a few laughs.

The cast delivers engaging voice performances, with Steve Carell and Joey King leading the pack, while Kristen Wiig, Steve Coogan, Stephen Colbert, Chloe Fineman, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Madison Polan and Pierre Coffin provide good support. Sadly though, Will Ferrell and Sofia Vergara are underused. On the whole, ‘Despicable Me 4’ is yet another unassumingly enjoyable installment that offers a good time, despite its familiarity and lack of innovation.