‘Despicable Me 4’ is ‘deliriously inventive’ and ‘genuinely amusing’ [Review Round-Up]
On July 3, 2024, Universal Pictures released “Despicable Me 4,” the fourth installment of this animated film franchise directed by Chris Renaud. The family movie has earned mixed reviews from critics, but promises plenty of laughs over the Fourth of July holiday. Read our full review round-up below.
As noted on Rotten Tomatoes, in the “Despicable Me” movie in seven years, Gru, the world’s favorite supervillain-turned-Anti-Villain League-agent, returns for an exciting, bold new era of Minions mayhem. Following the 2022 summer blockbuster phenomenon of “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” which earned almost $1 billion worldwide, the biggest global animated franchise in history now begins a new chapter as Gru (Oscar nominee Steve Carrell) and Lucy (Oscar nominee Kristen Wiig) and their girls–Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan)–welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad. Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Emmy winner Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Emmy nominee Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run.
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Leigh Paatsch of Herald Sun praises the film, stating, “Remarkably, ‘Despicable Me 4’ delivers plenty of proof that the deliriously inventive and genuinely amusing adventures of the reformed supervillain Gru and his ever-expanding entourage won’t be getting old any time soon.” Adding, “On a wider scale, ‘Despicable 4’ does nudge a few new characters into view, the most notable of which is Poppy (Joey King), a fangirl who blackmails Gru into becoming her villain mentor. However, the movie is at its best when remaining on familiar ground, which allows its top-notch voice cast and those irrepressible Minions to seal the deal impressively.”
Peter Debruge of Variety says, “Surely, the film’s pure entertainment value should count for something … and it does. Where the other leading computer animation studios strive for an emotional reaction, Illumination satisfies itself with laughter, and there’s lots of it in ‘Despicable Me 4.’ As Maxime, Ferrell concocts a faux-French accent almost as thick as Gru’s Slavic one. Just wait’ll you hear the two of them sing together (whereas that hurts the ears, the new tunes from franchise tone-setter Pharrell sound fresh, mixing well with energy-boosting needle drops). As Maxime’s big-lipped girlfriend Valentina, Sofía Vergara supplies one of the film’s best voices. Stephen Colbert and Chloe Fineman are also amusing as Gru’s new neighbors.”
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Rafael Motamayor of Slashfilm writes, “’Despicable Me 4′ crams in so much story, along with so many different subplots and characters, you’d think you’re watching a 10-episode anthology series. Unsurprisingly, each and every one of these gets abandoned pretty quickly in favor of the next new thing. Whatever goodwill ‘Migration’ may have earned Illumination as being capable of experimenting with strong visuals or story is squandered here. The overstuffed ‘Despicable Me 4’ abandons any pretense of caring about characters or narrative, choosing instead to fit in as many gags, characters, and little stories with as little consequences as they can.”
Wendy Ide of Screen International notes, “’Despicable Me 4′ may not reinvent the wheel. What it does deliver is a brisk, fan-friendly romp which may be a little thin on actual plot but is stuffed to the gills with jokes.” Concluding, “Maxime is not the only fresh face in this instalment. Director Chris Renaud, of ‘Despicable Me’ and ‘Despicable Me 2,’ is joined by Patrick Delage, who served as the lead animator on the first ‘Despicable Me,’ making his feature directing debut. Screenwriter Mike White, who previously co-wrote ‘Migration,’ another animation from the Illumination stable, joins the Despicable family, alongside long-term ‘Despicable Me’ writer Ken Daurio. The film suffers a little from a rushed third act – the set-up is more satisfying (and gag-heavy) than the pay-off. But a crowd-pleasing Tears For Fears cover version (’Everybody Wants To Rule The World’, naturally) and a greatest hits reunion of fan-favourite past villains ensures that the film goes out with a bang rather than whimper.”
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