Let’s just get this out of the way first: Pixar is the king
of animation. While other studios have their hits, they still don’t have the
track record that Pixar does. So when a franchise as enjoyable as Despicable Me (excluding Minions) has been, the animation studio
responsible, Illumination in this case, starts to garner expectations, however
small they may be. And while Despicable
Me (and the yellow things that come with it) is their crown jewel, sticking
the landing on the third entry is easier said than done.
The mischievous Minions hope that Gru (Steve Carell) will
return to a life of crime after the new boss of the Anti-Villain League fires
him. Instead, Gru decides to remain retired and travel to Freedonia to meet his
long-lost twin brother for the first time. The reunited siblings soon find
themselves in an uneasy alliance to take down the elusive Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), a former 1980s child star who seeks revenge against the world.
By the midpoint of the film, it’s clear that the film is
running on fumes, dragging the plot along despite not having nearly the story
that one would deem entertaining. And ultimately that’s the biggest negative
here: the story lacks any charm or heart that the first entry had in spades and
the second had to a lesser degree. It doesn’t need to be complex by any means
but by the time the third act rolls around you’re left wondering how much
actually happened that was worth seeing.
Thankfully, Steve Carell is back as the quite fun character
of Gru and now we get a second performance when he voices the twin brother,
Dru. The accent gets thicker each time out but the character retains the charm
from the first movie even if the film around him doesn’t. Kristen Wiig gets
stuck in a plot thread that doesn’t amount to much and is hardly interesting,
but her voice work is still solid. And Trey Parker gets the most one note,
though funny at times, villain with the most outlandish backstory and motif.
Having recently watched the first film and seeing this
newest film, Illumination has clearly stepped up their animation game. The film
looks great, much better than the first, and the improvements make the film a
little more enjoyable than it be otherwise. That being said it doesn’t offer
anything close to humor that hits every time. Wisely the minions are reduced to
side role again, but even then their screen time and attempts at comedy fall
flat.
Overall, Despicable Me
3 is flat ending to the otherwise enjoyable trilogy. It lacks anything
interesting or humorous that justifies it’s existence but isn’t bad enough to
be a complete trainwreck. What’s left is a middling and forgettable sequel that
isn’t worth the time or effort.
So what did you think of Despicable
Me 3? Have you seen it? Are you interested in seeing it? And how does it
rank among the other entries in the franchise? Share, subscribe, comment below,
and as always return to I Am Sam for weekly reviews and insight.
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