DESPICABLE ME 3 REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

It's hard to believe that it's been almost a decade since the release of Illumination Entertainment's debut feature film, Despicable Me, which was a fun and entertaining animation that focused on Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and his desperate attempts to steal the moon in order to become the greatest villain. However, after adopting three young girls, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Elsie Fisher), he soon has a change of heart and goes from being 'superbad' to becoming a 'superdad'. It proved to be a big success with the majority of critics giving it favourable reviews. It was entertaining for the whole family and went on to earn over $543 million at the box office. Three years later, its sequel was released and, fortunately, in terms of humour and storytelling, it matched that of its predecessor. After being recruited by the Anti Villain League, he teamed up with Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and the two eventually developed a relationship which lead to them getting married at the end of the film. Despicable Me 2 just missed out on making $1 billion, however, it received over $970 million at the box office. The most popular characters from both films were Gru's Minions and their spin-off film was released in 2015. While critics weren't impressed with this one as much as its predecessors, it was a huge success at the box office, earning $1.1 billion. Now, a follow-up to the second film has been released, however, is it a disappointment like Minions or just as good as its predecessors?

Despicable Me 3 opens by introducing us to the main villain, Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker) who, after spending his childhood portraying an evil genius on a hit TV show, grows up to be just like his character after his show was cancelled once he hit puberty. He now wants revenge and begins by stealing a large diamond from a ship. This leads to Gru and Lucy trying to capture him, unfortunately, they are unsuccessful and are soon fired from the Anti Villain League. Gru soon discovers he has a twin brother, Dru (also voiced by Carell), and the two work together on stealing back the diamond from Bratt who has plans to destroy Hollywood with his new giant robot.

While Despicable Me 3 isn't as good as its predecessor, it's not as bad as what Minions was. By focusing too much on the Minions, who speak a gibberish-like language written by the directors, Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin, it lacked the fun of the first two films. Fortunately, I would say that they've returned to form with the fourth film in the franchise. By bringing back Gru and Lucy, Despicable Me 3 is enjoyable to watch. The pair work well together, however, when Gru meets his twin brother, Dru, Lucy focuses more on bonding with her new stepdaughters. In a subplot, we see Lucy taking Margo, Edith and Agnes out and learns how to be a good mother and these scenes are effective and continues the theme of family. 

Once again, Carell brings back his comical voice of Gru, however, this time he also voices Dru, who is the complete opposite of Gru and has a loud, excitable voice. At first, Gru gets annoyed by his brother, however, the pair soon develop a relationship together and bring most of the humour. We see another side to Lucy as she tries to bond with her new stepdaughters, however, she still remains just as bubbly and optimistic as the previous film.

For those who think the Minions can be a bit much at times can breathe a sigh of relief as their scenes are reduced. After Gru quits villainy for good, his Minions leave him and, after causing mayhem in the city, are sent to prison where they soon stage a breakout. To be honest, I don't mind the Minions too much, I don't think that they're irritating as some of the scenes can provide humour. One of their est scenes is when they accidentally end up on stage and begin performing. One supporting character I did miss was Gru's friend, Dr. Nefario who was voiced by stand-up comedian Russell Brand in the first two films, however, Gru informs his Minions that he accidentally froze himself in carbonite. I'm not sure why Nefario was written out of this film but I hope he can be written back in if there's ever a sequel.

The main villains from the previous two films were Vector (Jason Segal) and El Macho (Benjamin Bratt), of the two, I found Vector to find the funniest and best of the two as, like Gru, he was also a villain and wanted to steal the moon. I think that Balthazar Bratt is an improvement over El Macho was the previous villain as he's a lot more entertaining. He has giant purple shoulder pads and, whilst committing his crimes, he dances to his favourite 80s music including Michael Jackson's 'Bad', Madonna's 'Into The Groove' and A-ha's 'Take On Me'. While I doubt children will recongise these songs, I'm sure their parents will have a good chuckle watching Bratt dancing to their favourite 80s tunes. Parker is best known for creating the 1996 animated series, South Park, so he might seem an odd choice to appear in a children's film, however, he soon turns out to be a great choice.

Pharrell Williams returns to the Despicable Me franchise once again and brings seven new songs with him including 'Yellow Light', 'There's Something Special' and 'Hug Me' which features Parker. While they are all solid tracks, my favourite being 'There's Something Special', they don't quite match up to Williams' number one track from the sequel, 'Happy'.

For those who enjoyed the previous films, I'm sure you'll find lots to enjoy in this latest installment and I doubt you'll be disappointed. 

7/10