Illumination returns to the world of Despicable Me for a fourth entry that reunites fans with their favorite reformed villain, his charismatic family, and an endless supply of mischievous Minions. However, Despicable Me 4 simply puts the studio’s formula on auto-pilot – delivering an average adventure that stretches itself too thin and hardly pushes things forward. 

After squaring off against multiple foes over the years, Gru (Steve Carrel) faces an old nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell). Although Gru gets the upper hand on Maxime and has him arrested, Maxime quickly escapes with the help of his girlfriend Valentina (Sofia Vergara). Now, with Maxime targeting Gru and his family, they’re forced to move to the high-class town of Mayflower to lay low. However, laying low isn’t exactly something Gru’s family excels at. So, it’s not long until danger finds them and Gru deals with some of his greatest challenges yet – as both a former villain and a dad. 

Look, overall, if you’ve liked every Despicable Me or Minions movie so far, then Despicable Me 4 will be a pleasant enough ride. Gru and his family go through plenty goofy hijinks that provide light-hearted laughs and take them out of their comfort zone. There’s also this storyline between Gru and his infant son Gru Jr. that’s an enjoyable highlight of the experience. It’s adorable to see Gru’s own sense of villainy be thrown in his face through Gru Jr., and the newest member of the family acts as a delightful obstacle in his dad’s endeavors. Gru and Gru Jr. really give this film a sense of family and heart that fans always hope to find with these films, and leads to some warm conclusions. 

Plus, the Minions continue to be a reliable comedic backbone. However, this time around, it’s easy to see the franchise become over-reliant on them for cheap laughs and hit and miss bits. For the most part, they get the job done and deliver some good chuckles that viewers of all ages can enjoy. But, you do leave wondering if their magic loses its power and surprise here. What’s nice though is that Despicable Me 4 adds in some superhero twists to the Minions by giving some of them some hilariously fun superpowers. There are some great nods to iconic scenes from superhero movies and it’s honestly a blast to see characters as silly as the Minions try to pull off their own form of heroism. Their powers are utilized well for great action-comedy sequences and this superhero spin for the Minions continues Illumination’s streak of dynamic animation. 

However, weaknesses often outweigh strengths in Despicable Me 4 – mainly because it doesn’t strive to be anything more than a forgettable, filler sequel. Despite this film trying to cover as much ground as possible with its roster of characters, it rarely achieves anything noteworthy. Gru’s family is an afterthought in this film – which is really disappointing for characters like Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and Agnes (Miranda Cosgrove). The “fish out of water” storyline they have in Mayflower never feels important and the jokes they have are as unremarkable as the setting. Frankly, it’s just not that fun to see this family try to be mundane and it’s what makes this chapter of their story feel so skippable.  

Honestly, it’s more interesting to watch Gru do things outside of his family and there’s this potentially intriguing part of his arc that opens up. There’s a cool storyline between Gru and an aspiring villain named Poppy Prescott (Joey King) that slowly develops and could see Gru’s villainous ways reemerge. If this adventure with Poppy reignites Gru’s passion for being a villain, then a grand return to Gru’s roots could be in the franchise’s future – which would be pretty exciting. However, even if it’s just a one-off storyline, Gru and Poppy’s mission together is very solid and it’s fun to see Gru as a mentor. Oddly enough, Poppy and Gru are far more appealing villains than the film’s actual baddie.

Maxime Le Mal is easily the blandest villain Gru faces in this franchise. Compared to past villains – who actually make brief appearances in this film – Maxime lacks actual importance in this story. Often, he and Valentina are periodically checked on throughout the film and his connection to Gru is incredibly hollow. Their rivalry stemming from a school talent show is honestly so petty and dumb that it leaves no impact – ultimately making Maxime’s revenge plans feel pointless and underwhelming. Also, Ferrel’s voice is cartoony in the worst way possible and seldom funny. Maxime is just a dry French caricature and nothing more. Not to mention, his obsession with cockroaches is just plain strange and never results in interesting action or story beats for his character. 

Fans of Despicable Me won’t leave woefully disappointed thanks to some fun gags with the Minions and a father/son rivalry that boasts good laughs. However, it’s a bummer to see this franchise rely on old tricks too much to get by, and it feels like the franchise’s creative well is tapped at this point. It’s a key reason that Despicable Me 4 is a formulaic and forgettable adventure.

Watch the Trailer Here: