I don't wanna be that guy complaining that movies should teach my hypothetical children something other than gibberish, but here I am, asking you politely to get off my lawn and take your Despicables with you.
Amazingly enough, "Despicable Me 2" and "Minions" were both the highest grossing animated films of 2013 and 2015, respectively. That means that a movie about yellow laboratory freaks with brain damage speaking in tongues made more money than "Inside Out" and "Mad Max: Fury Road"...combined.
Maybe the draw for parents and their kids is Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) or one of the cute little orphan girls. Or maybe it's been the evolution of the story of Gru and his makeshift family. Where the first movie saw Gru as a super-villain slowly opening his heart and home to three little orphan girls, the second film sees Gru find love and a new purpose in life that moves him out of the realm of super-villainy into being a full-blown hero. These transitions manage to be surprisingly touching for a series involving shark rockets and fart guns.
"Despicable Me 3" begins with Gru as a full-fledged agent of the Anti-Villain League, actively foiling super-villains instead of accidentally. Gru and Lucy both get fired because they failed to capture new villain Balthazar Bratt (perfectly voiced by "South Park's" Trey Parker) and have to figure out what new jobs to get. There's a ton more plot involving long-lost twin brothers, giant robots and, of course, the Minions. As much plot as there is, most of the story just exists to set up some pretty hilarious jokes.
It's weird, but "Despicable Me 3" doesn't quite have the heart of the last two movies, but it's quite a bit funnier and that works like a charm. It's almost like they're going the "Harry Potter" route and aging the movies up with their audience. Instead of relying on cute little girls making faces or the Minions hurting themselves while being adorable, the script is actually pretty funny on its own and creates several great character moments.
As someone who literally wants to punch a Minion in the face (I don't care if they're wearing glasses), I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. It's a cute diversion with some great animation and good jokes for people who laugh at butts like I do. Even the Minions made me laugh a few times. Little bastards.
Despicable Me 3
Dir. Eric Guillon, Kyle Balda & Pierre Coffin
Grade: B
Old Mill Stadium 16 & IMAX, Sisters Movie House, Redmond Cinema
