Review: ‘Despicable Me 4’ is shifting focus

Having grown up with animated characters that rarely aged, it’s somewhat strange to watch a new generation of animated stories in which the individuals are evolving with each sequel. The Simpsons is the longest running cartoon on television, yet everyone is the same minus the passing of a few personalities, and The Land Before Time had many sequels without its featured dinos reaching adulthood. But for each entry in the Despicable Me franchise, Gru has grown as a person and expanded his world with new family members. In the latest chapter, Despicable Me 4, he has a new son and is adapting to being the father of a baby, while also being a secret agent.

Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) have welcomed Junior into their growing family, and with all the girls’ activities and their Anti-Villain League (AVL) work, they’re a busy bunch. But when Gru helps capture his high school nemesis, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), the celebration is short-lived. Threatening to get his revenge, Gru, the family and a few Minions must be whisked away to a safe house until Maxime is stopped. Meanwhile, the rest of the Minions are taken to AVL headquarters for a special project. However, the family’s new home and identities also come with a nosey neighbor girl named Poppy (Joey King) who has big, villainous ambitions.

There’s been a trend with each Despicable Me sequel in which the Minions play a lesser role in the narrative. They still get up to their madcap antics and are there when Gru needs them the most, but they no longer dominate the main story. This movie doesn’t even feature Bob, Kevin or Stuart, who fans have grown to know as the key Minion characters and become attached to as distinct personalities. In addition, the mega-Minions, which are select banana enthusiasts with superpowers, feels like a Fantastic Four-type gimmick that never really gets fleshed out. Overall, it’s a move many viewers may not be a fan of as the franchise’s most amusing characters are pushed to the sidelines.

The narrative also feels very fragmented as the characters are largely separated throughout the picture, pursuing their own interests or experiencing their own feelings. There are still some very cute and comical moments with the family and/or Minions, but it doesn’t feel on par with the previous films. Moreover, even though Ferrell’s French accent is laughably over the top, Maxime doesn’t jump off the screen as a formidable villain. In fact, the wild honey badger posing as a villain school’s mascot is more intimidating.

In the end, there’s still a lot to like about this picture — including a funny mid-credit scene — but it’s attempts to grow-up are developing past the best parts of the franchise.

Directors: Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage
Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig and Pierre Coffin