Despicable Me 3

A very enjoyable, family friendly film that should appeal to adults and children alike, this surprisingly good “threequel” manages to give audiences more of what they like, without ever feeling repetitive or like a rehash of the earlier films.

Premise:  Gru’s (Steve Carell) and Lucy’s (Kristen Wiig) attempts to capture 80s-child-star-turned-supervillain Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker) are disrupted by a Minion uprising and the discovery that Gru has a long-lost twin brother, Dru (also Steve Carell).

Review:

I could sum up Despicable Me 3 in one simple sentence: if you’re a fan of the previous two films, this is more of the same, but if you’re not a fan of the series, this is more of the same.  By this stage, viewers should know what to expect – a family friendly comedy that has enough innocent, cutesy comedy for younger viewers, and enough slapstick and wordplay to keep the adults amused.  Whilst Despicable Me 3 may not be funny enough to elicit uncontrollable belly-laughs from the adults, you’d have to be pretty jaded not to crack a smile or several during the course of the film.

Personally, I thought that Despicable Me 2 was a far better film than the first one, and now for me Despicable Me 3 sits nicely between the first two in terms of enjoyability.  What’s perhaps surprising about Despicable Me 3 is that this is a rare “threequel” that shows no sign that the series is running out of steam.  By this stage in most film franchises, the material is either feeling stretched thin, repetitive or desperate, but despite adhering to the general formula from previous films, Despicable Me 3 feels surprisingly fresh and inventive.

“…the film certainly doesn’t lack for pace…”

This is probably a result of the fact that, to an extent, the film series reinvents itself slightly with each film – the first centred on Gru’s attempts at villainy and his cynical adoption of Margo, Edith and Agnes, while the second film went in a new direction with Gru’s recruitment into the Anti-Villains League and his romantic relationship with Lucy.  This threequel then does something different again, which keeps the series fresh in a way that, for example, the Shrek series struggled with (where every film was basically about Shrek not appreciating what he had until it was gone … again).

It’s also impressive that Despicable Me 3 manages to balance five (by my count) different plot threads, without the film ever feeling particularly unfocused.  There’s the mission to capture the new supervillain Balthazar Bratt, as well as Gru’s discovery that he has a long-lost twin brother, plus Lucy’s attempts to adapt to being a mother to the girls, on top of the mass-resignation of the Minions, and Agnes’ quest to find a real-life unicorn.  As a result, one thing you can certainly say about the film is that it doesn’t lack for pace.  In the circumstances, you can see why Dr Nefario (from the first two films) was written out in a hilarious sight-gag early on.

“…Balthazar Bratt is a glorious tribute to all the tacky, gaudy brilliance of the 80s…”

Despicable Me 3 also manages to avoid the pitfall of having the Minions overpower everything, which I think was the main problem with their solo prequel film, Minions.  When it comes to the Minions, there’s a balance to be struck between too little screen time (Despicable Me), far too much screen time (Minions), and just about the right amount (Despicable Me 2 and 3).  In Despicable Me 3, the Minions are side-lined with their own sub-plot, which allows them to pop up from time to time for a sketch here and a sketch there, without interrupting the main plot too much.

And with so many plot threads going on, it’s also worth praising Trey Parker’s performance as Balthazar Bratt, a former 80s child star who’s now turned to supervillainy.  Funnier and more memorable than either Vector (from Despicable Me) or El Macho (who spent most of Despicable Me 2 in disguise anyway), Balthazar Bratt is a glorious tribute to all the tacky, gaudy brilliance of the 80s – from his terrible hair (complete with aging bald-spot), giant shoulder pads, and obsession with “dance fights”, to his ridiculous robot sidekick and his keytar sonic weapon.  His love of all things 80s also means that the film has a fantastic soundtrack, as Bratt blasts out classic tunes from Michael Jackson, Madonna and A-ha.

“…fun that the whole family can enjoy together…”

At the end of the day, Despicable Me 3 isn’t going to change your life, and if you’ve not enjoyed the first two films, why would you watch the third?  But if you fancy some family friendly laughs coupled with an 80s-themed, nostalgia-fuelled soundtrack, Despicable Me 3 is a fun 90 minutes that the whole family can enjoy together.