“Despicable Me 4,” directed by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage, follows Gru (Steve Carrell) and his family as they are forced to go into hiding after notorious villain Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) tries to hunt them down and steal Gru’s newborn son as revenge for embarrassing Maxime back at the two’s school talent show.
Illumination proves themselves one of the best animation studios in the industry due to their quality visuals despite what audiences may say about their scripts. “Despicable Me 4” continues this trend with some of the most visually appealing animations of the year. The colors are vibrant, the movements fluid and the world lively. They pay attention to every minor detail, and it shows. One of the most remarkable sequences of the film comes in the form of a chase scene that feels fast-paced without being hard to look at. Everything from the particles of the rocket wheelchair to the lighting of the hallways stands out, making for a chase sequence that’ll stick in audiences’ heads not just from its humor but the visual joyride it provides.
Despite its spectacular visuals, the pacing of the film doesn’t hold up. One problem with modern kid movies is the overwhelming speed at which they flow as studios try to adapt to the shorter attention spans of the younger generations, but just because online media caters towards bite-sized dopamine hits doesn’t mean that films should as well. Sure, the pacing of “Despicable Me 4” will keep kids’ eyes glued to the screen, but the overall story is lost for both the younger and the older audiences in attendance. It feels as though the film jumps from one idea to the next without regard for what previously occurred. One minute Gru is on a heist to keep his identity and location from being revealed to the world while the next he’s playing tennis and seemingly forgetting all about the scene prior.
The events that occur in the film feel like short sketches rather than a fleshed-out narrative. The overarching story of Gru facing a threat from his past wanting to stop him from moving towards a brighter, less-evil future is a fantastic concept. Yet, it’s overshadowed by needless subplots of his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) failing to be a hairdresser, and the minions gaining superpowers to stop Maxime and Gru from helping a neighbor girl named Poppy (Joey King) become a villain. Additionally, Gru’s daughters are underdeveloped despite being at the center of the three films. Even Lucy isn’t given time to shine despite having such a big part in the past. That being said, all the plots do come to a memorable conclusion, but having them makes it feel as though the movie has nothing to say.
“Despicable Me 4” proves a fine popcorn flick but lacks any true substance despite its wonderful animation. It feels more like an insult to the franchise as a whole and fails to do anything more than keep kids quiet for an hour and a half.
2 ½ Mega Minions out of 5
