Despicable Me 3 - movie review

Despicable Me 3

Plot: Gru meets his long-lost charming, cheerful, and more successful twin brother Dru who wants to team up with him for one last criminal heist.
Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker
Directors: Kyle Balda & Pierre Coffin
Certificate: U (mild comic violence, rude humour, very mild bad language)
Runtime: 1hr 30 mins
Release Date: Friday 30th June 2017

Can we just reflect on something for a moment? The first Despicable Me came out in 2010. For those not well versed in mathematics, that's seven years ago. In that seven year period, we've had three installments in the Despicable Me saga and also one spin-off centered on the Minions. That's four interconnected animated films all released within the space of seven years. And, furthermore that's one great animated film (the 2010 Despicable Me) alongside three mediocre entries. So, how come this is acceptable but we've had to wait FOURTEEN years for a follow up to the greatest animated film of all time, The Incredibles. There is no justice in this world. Rant over, Despicable Me was a really endearing family film that matched its heart with heaps of humour. Sadly, its sequel was a few steps down from what the original had set. Then, of course, we have the Minions movie. Frankly, I'm on the side of the fence where I didn't hate the Minions movie. It was by no means good but I found it to be yet another case of a movie studio capitalising off of a popular side character that audience had shown interest so give them their own film regardless of whether it was necessary or not. And now, Despicable Me 3 has arrived and unfortunately, it's the most average of the bunch.

If there's one thing the Minions have, it's expert rhythm.

If there's one thing that we can always rely on in a Despicable Me movie, it's Steve Carell. He is one of the greatest comic actors to walk the face of the Earth and his voice as Gru has always been dependable hilarity. This hasn't changed for the third time round but to spice things up, Carell also voices Gru's twin brother, Dru. It's this character that swiftly went from being a forgettable and uninteresting character to seriously grating in the space of a few seconds. Carell isn't the problem here because he's just giving the character a voice complete with silly accent. Dru is the responsibility of the screenwriters and they're are the ones that have to take the blame. Instead of making Dru a comical clutz that manages to redeem his foolishness through a sweet and admiring attitude, he's  instead replaced with a stubborn and irritating personality of a spoilt brat that holds the world in contempt for never getting his own way. There is a way, difficult though it may be, that Dru could find redemption in the error of his ways but that would be logical thinking and when has the Despicable Me movies been a source of logic. Instead, the film plays his arrogance for laughs. It doesn't work one bit. I'd imagine that by removing Dru entirely, there is a chance, albeit slim, that the quality of this film could have drastically improved. Truth be told, Despicable Me 3 was more than tolerable before Dru turned up. It was funny, sweet and surprisingly exciting as we are introduced to Balthazar Bratt, voiced by Trey Parker. The main plot of Despicable Me 3 began with hope. Gru and Lucy are still working for the Anti-Villain League and we open by seeing them chase nostalgia freak, 80's addict and complete nutbag that's unable to let go of the past, Balthazar Bratt. A former child star, Bratt still wishes for fame and glory after his show was taken off air and has now resorted to villainy to gain attention. Bratt is easily one of the strongest parts of this film. Trey Parker is up there alongside Seth MacFarlane as one of the greatest comedy voice actors working today and he doesn't disappoint as Bratt. In a hilarious opening that seemed to suggest this franchise might revert back to its original quality, I sat there hoping to have a great time. Unfortunately the rest of the movie happened and I quickly became very, very, VERY bored. The issue is that apart from whenever Bratt is on screen or the Minions, both of which are maddeningly fleeting, there isn't enough jolt of energy nor entertainment to keep the interest flowing. This all stems from the screenwriters making the mistake of centering the film around Gru and Dru. Dru is monumentally irritating and whilst Gru is still fairly endearing to watch him connect with his wife and children, whenever he's paired with Dru, he's dragged down also. I was always a fan of when Gru did funny yet despicable things but in his third outing, he's too much of a good guy. Yes, the ambition for him to cause havoc is still there but he's taken the moral compass too far. I'm not saying that Gru should be evil but to get rid of his despicable ways entirely was a mistake.

If Michael Bay directed a Barman film, this would be the Batmobile. No lie.

FACT: This is Trey Parker's first role in a movie targeted to children.

There are positives to be found however and they come in the shape of small little yellow people. That's right - after a so-so attempt in their own standalone venture, the Minions return to their rightful place as a supporting selection of characters. They're like the Penguins from Madagascar. They simply don't work as leads of their own film but steal the show when used correctly. This time round, they're back in a position where the film cuts away to them and treats them like sketches in between the main film. It's a shame that these sketches are far more entertaining that the overall film itself. The Minions are ridiculous, as they should be, and there is very much a Tom and Jerry/Looney Tunes element to them all and it's that madcap humour and craziness that makes them fantastic to watch. From appearing in a talent show called Sing! (what a coincidence that it shares the name with the studio's previous animation) to a prison sequences that resulted in many belly laughs, one of the few positives I left Despicable Me 3 with was its ability to remind me why I love the Minions. It's also worth noting that the animation has improved considerably yet still retains a cartoonish look to it. It's not like a Pixar film where landscapes look almost realistic. This is a straight up animation and doesn't try to be anything more. That's about all that Despicable Me 3 does right though. Everything else feels very rushed through as if they were hard pushed to make the deadline rather than delay the film a little in order for the story to be tweaked for it to make sense and work. There are a lot of plotlines going on in such a small space of time and it feels like there are about ten minutes missing that could have wrapped the multitude of sub-stories that are left hanging and unfinished. The main plot of Gru discovering and bonding with his brother is left open-ended but more in the sense of 'They had no idea how to finish it' rather than teasing a sequel. The Balthazar Bratt storyline does have an ending but even that is haphazardly thrown together and then there are plot points like Lucy wanting to be a better mother, Margo accidentally falling into an arranged marriage and Agnes on the hunt for a unicorn that are only used to fill time rather than do anything to serve the story. They add nothing. And that's my overall impression of Despicable Me 3. Aside from Bratt and the Minions, it's an hour and a half of bland, dull and uneventful nothingness.

His role models include Michael Jackson and Jesus.

To all the parents reading this, Despicable Me 3 is just for the kids this time. They'll laugh and be distracted by all the fart jokes but so long as you find a comfy seat, you aren't going to miss much if you have a nap. Boring, rarely chuckle-worthy and instantly forgettable, Despicable Me 3 should be the final entry of this franchise. We don't need any more. But who am I kidding? These films make wonga by the plenty so we're bound to see oodles of sequels. Yay...

My Verdict: 5/10

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