Review 460: Despicable Me 3

 

Despicable Me 3 is decidedly more scattershot than its predecessors, but still delivers on dazzling animation and Big Laughs.

After being fired from the AVL, Gru (Steve Carell) along with his extended family decide to travel to the distant country of Freedonia to meet Gru's long lost twin brother Dru (also voiced by Steve Carell). Together they team up to defeat a new villain, Balthazar Bratt (South Park co-creator Trey Parker), a former child actor from the 80's who never really grew up after his TV show got axed.

Despicable Me 3 is essentially two main plots. It would seem that Gru trying to reconnect with Dru is the A-story and the threat posed by Balthazar Bratt is the B-story coupled with a subplot involving

There's also a "minor" subplot involving the AVL getting a new director, Valarie Da Vinci (the admittedly funny Jenny Slate) and her involvement ultimately feels so inconsequential it leaves us as audience wondering "What was the point?"

It's not Toy Story 3 but at least it's not Shrek the Third.

Ultimately the glue that holds Despicable Me 3 together are the characters. The characters of Gru, Lucy, Margo, Edith and Agnes as well as the Minions are impossible to dislike.

 
South Park co-creator Trey Parker has a very fun role in this film playing the films Big Bad Balthazar Bratt

We also see the much welcome return of Julie Andrews as Marlena, Gru and Dru's mother

Directors Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda's animation direction is the animation (as to be expected from a Despicable Me/Illumination Entertainment film) is excellent, the production design is fabulous - Dru's mansion is a sight to behold and the definition of a villains dream home. The score by Heitor Pereira is delightfully quirky, the character design is fantastic, the action scenes outrageously inventive,

 

3/5.

 

The Anonymous Critic.