With celebrity cameos including Sofia Vergara and Will Ferrell, Universal Pictures’ “Despicable Me 4” was given substantial hype, but generated mixed reviews.
As a fan of the other three movies, I knew I needed to see the newest and potentially final movie in the franchise, but I found that “Despicable Me 4” fell flat.
The movie was introduced with the song “Double Life” by Pharrell Williams, who has worked alongside the “Despicable Me” series since the first film. After the song concluded, several plot lines unfolded, including Gru’s adjustment to life in a new town Mayflower, the whereabouts and tribulations of his beloved minions, his interesting new neighbors and the evil scheme of his archenemy Maxime Le Mal.
While each plot was engaging in its own sense, the frequent switch between story lines and characters gave the film an ironic tie to its soundtrack song, “Double Life.”
The film ran for around 1 hour and 34 minutes. Despite the shortness of the movie, it sometimes felt long or as if certain scenes were unnecessary.
When being compared to the previous films in the franchise, the fourth seemed to lack the creativity that “Despicable Me” is so often praised for. The charm of the original movies could not seem to be replicated, and the scenes that were intended to be humorous felt cut short by the clashing plot lines.
Another upsetting part of the fourth film was the near-absence of many of the original characters. The minions in particular, who seem to make the movies significant to so many, were noticeably underemphasized when it came to screen time.
Most of the reviews regarding the film seem to be positive, while others express that they are extremely disappointed about the result of the film. I feel that certain aspects of the movie were not enjoyable, and that the incorporation of endless new characters and story lines made it confusing and difficult to keep up with. For any children or fans of the franchise itself, the movie may be disappointing in comparison to the previous films.
Despite the overall mediocrity of “Despicable Me 4,” the film provided a sense of nostalgia through its references to the other “Despicable Me” movies.
Grade: C
