"Despicable Me 3" Review - A Villainous Return

This 4th film in the lovable franchise gets a passing grade, but only barely.

Despicable Me 3 still has the charm and humor that the first 3 non Minions films had, but has now over the years lost it’s star power storytelling that the first one did so well at doing. There’s nothing new brought to this sequel which really doesn’t help. Everything related to unicorns, love interests, and Pharrell songs doesn't change at all, which when you think about it is disappointing. The story with Gru’s brother is well done, but it’s so damn rushed because there are legit 6 different storylines in this movie, all crammed into 90 minutes! They try to fit character development into 6 different instances with Agnus, Lucy, Margo, Gru, Blatt, and the minions which all and all makes things so jumbled and rushed.

Speaking of Minions, let’s talk about that. So I’m one of those rare people that doesn’t hate the minions. They are literally cheesy puff versions of Looney Tunes. The way they were handled in the first movie was perfect. They were simply background characters who only really had one scene to themselves. The Minions were forced more into #2, which worked, but not nearly as much. You would think after the Minions film didn’t do so well that they would decide, “maybe we should focus less on the minions”. But nope. They have their own goddamn storyline, and even though there are a few very funny moments with them, the amount of time they get over Gru and the kids is truly painful and ridiculous. This franchise really just decided it’s not about the story anymore and the other awesome characters; it’s how do we make our extra money.

Now there are a few pluses. First, Trey Parker as the villain is glorious! His epic South Park voice combined with an amazing character and 80s soundtrack I just loved so much. He easily was the best part of the movie. Along with that, the DM humor is all still there in full force. One thing I’ve always loved about this franchise is that the writers know how to create slapstick comedy. They don’t rely on the Minions being stupid to the point where you want to kill yourself or ridiculously forced rude humor jokes (there are a couple, but they are not so bad). The writers of this franchise are able to make these characters really relatable and lovable while also making them truly funny and a joy to watch. If this franchise didn’t have that kind of writing, I wouldn’t give two shits about Despicable Me. I came to see the sequel for a reason.

So now it’s time to stop this tirade of minion cash ins. Call the Despicable Me films quits and leave it there. They had a great run, but it’s pretty much over. The only thing I would be interested in is a spinoff based on the main girls, or a non minion Despicable Me. But keep this road going, and the movies I care about will have a cancerous stench that will not go away.

You the adult will probably like this 3rd installment. Your kids definitely will, but you will have walked out expecting something much better.

One Nebs Up!