Coming from a minion enthusiast who refused to go to school without a minion school bag in the second standard, I eagerly anticipated watching the recent addition to the Despicable Cinematic Universe.
I remember watching “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and leaving with the impression of Gru being a memorable villain, only to experience a complete turnaround where Gru is portrayed as a caring family man, leading his family with love and responsibility in Despicable Me 4.
This American animated comedy film directed by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage starring the voices of Will Ferrell, Joey King, Steve Carell, Sofia Vergara and many more hit the big screens on July 3rd, 2024.
Background
In "Despicable Me 4," Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) now have a baby boy alongside their three daughters: Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Madison Polan). After Gru arrests his high school bully-turned-supervillain, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), who wields formidable cockroach-based powers, Maxime vows revenge.
Escaping from a maximum-security prison, Maxime forces the Anti-Villain League to relocate Gru's family to the wealthy town of Mayflower for witness protection.
Under the alias "Chet," Gru is coerced by his neighbor's daughter, Poppy (Joey King), a budding villainess, into helping her commit a crime to gain entry to his former supervillain school.
Meanwhile, Lucy and the girls struggle with their new identities and neighborhood challenges.
‘A Quiet Place: Day One’: Aliens invade, but pizza must be acquired!Plot and execution
Personally, I found the plot promising and genuine, but the execution felt rushed and hurried as there were certain parts that could have benefitted from further elaboration.
The 1 hour 34 34-minute movie definitely could have been a bit longer for the audience to resonate better. It seemed like towards the end, it got strenuous for the director to put together a climax and the ending almost seemed unfinished which is so unlikely in the other minion movies!
There were too many new plot points that were used once and never again, making it difficult for viewers to keep up with it.
This time, individual character development is limited, as Gru focuses on scheming with his young neighbor, and the new "Mega Minions" operates as an AVL superhero team akin to the Avengers. Maxime and his partner.
Dialogues and humor
Agnes: We are not supposed to lie.
Gru: Don’t think of it as lying. Think of it as high-stakes pretending.
Agnes: Well, I am not going to.
Gru: Ah, just a little white lie.
An average representation of my friend and I convincing ourselves to lie to get ourselves out of hot water.
What really stood out to me were the dialogues that were really well-written. It relies less on gross-out humor compared to the others, in my opinion. The jokes and humor are genuinely solid and hit the mark.
The timing of visual gags, the framing of slapstick moments, and the pacing of scenes all contribute to the film's ability to entertain and engage audiences of different ages.
Targeted audience
Despicable Me 4 is a film that is apt for kids to watch unlike recent films that claim to be made for kids but instead are just clammed with adult jokes and convoluted plots.
This film offers comedic references that appeal to kids, and vibrant and colorful animation captivating young audiences. More importantly, it conveys positive messages about family, friendship and overcoming challenges through its comedic elements making it an amazing watching experience for kids.
Verdict
As the fourth main installment in the franchise, "Despicable Me 4" was inevitably compared to its predecessors. I may have had high expectations based on the success of the earlier films, which could have influenced my perceptions of where the movie fell short.
Leaving the theater, I'm filled with a range of emotions—some moments had me laughing out loud, yet my nostalgia for the earlier films persists. Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly recommend it for kids to experience and keep the Minion spirit alive for future generations.
