- Date of Release: 05 July 2024
- Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy
- Language: English
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Despicable Me 4
Introduction
One of my favourite onscreen animation creations has to be the minions, yellow coated goofy little creatures that keep the kid in you alive. They are cute and adorable while consistently maintaining their minion mayhem to keep their viewers in splits throughout the films of the franchise. And amidst the mayhem is Gru, a super villain of sorts who has a transformation while still keeping his grey traces intact. All of these characters comprise of the incredible Despicable Me franchise that has over the years captured the wildest imagination of the audiences from across the globe. And like everyone else, I was keenly awaiting the new film of the franchise Despicable Me 4 which is the fourth installment of the popular Despicable Me franchise. I happened to also see its trailer feeling Gru(who is a family man now) who shares a warm but indifferent relationship with toddler who is inclined towards his mother. Instantly, there was a relatability factor(with me being the toddler ofcourse), something that I wished to explore more in the film that had a threat looming over Gru and his family. So then, does Despicable Me 4 manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Despicable Me 4 follows the story of Gru who welcomes a new member of his family, his young toddler son who is intent on tormenting his father. A parallel track involves the origin of a new threat to the family which forces the Gru family to go underground. The story here is something that you would expect in a Despicable Me franchise, it is light hearted and harmless with a lot of minion mayhem. There are genuine moments of laughter when the minions are onscreen, even as the narrative plays safe and maintains mid levels in terms of storytelling. The screenplay standing at a shade above 90 minutes is taut while also contributing to several lighthearted moments that are now synonymous to this franchise. The intended narrative is catered to the age demographic of generally kids of 7 years and below, and in that regard, the screenplay manages to impress. But, if you look through any other prism, the screenplay is predictable and plays it safe!
The drama opens with the reintroduction of Gru even as he makes his way to the Alumni meet of his university. It is there that you are also privy to the nemesis of Gru and his biggest competitor, something that Gru highly disdains. And even as an incident occurs that causes Gru’s nemesis to be jailed, the context and the foundation of the drama is set in terms of the path that it wishes to tread. Almost immediately, you are also introduced to the family of Gru, including his new toddler who would go on to play an important part in the film. With the threat looming large around the family, the family moves in shelter and poses a different identity that leads to a whole new level of madness.
The proceedings are engaging and quite hilarious with the intended silliness in the drama. The entire minions subplot of potential ‘Avengers’ transformed to save the world in their own rights, does cause for a bag full of laughs. Elsewhere, Gru finding a new ally after an extended raid has got to be one of the funniest sequences of the film. The subplots here are used as fillers and most of them work as well although a couple of them seemed half baked. However, if there was one criticism around the film then it has got to be the undercooked character of the nemesis, also because his screen time was a little lesser than that of some of the other characters. As a result, the threat didn’t quite seem to loom large as it was made to be. This also included the extended final act that did unfold on predictable lines, ending also on a predictable note. There was a shade of convenience in the writing even while maintaining the playful tone of the drama rather well. Overall, the screenplay is decently well written and makes for a hilarious watch especially if you are fans of the franchise.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are well written while going perfectly with the light hearted mood of the drama and triggering a bag full of laughs along the way. The music is good while maintaining the playful ambience of the drama, the BGM does elevate the drama at various junctures. The animation is terrific with the different forms of the minions being explored with dollops of humour. Even other characters have solid pieces of animation tagged to them. The editing is crisp and sharp while never breaking the momentum in the drama. Director Chris Renaud does a good job much like what he had previously done with the previous films of the franchise. It did help that he understood the world and therefore this film blended perfectly with the vibe of the films from the franchise. If anything, the storyline was safe with never too high stakes in the drama but you have got to remember that the film is catered towards the age group of 7 years and below. And in that regard, the direction is good.
Voiceovers
The voiceovers are pretty good here by the ensemble cast. Sandra Bullock as Scarlet Overkill is outstanding to witness. Madison Polan as Agnes, Dana Gaier as Edith and Miranda Cosgrove as Margo lend their voices effectively. Joey King as Poppy is first rate and really leaves a mark. Sofia Vergara as Valentina is excellent here, as is Will Ferrell as Maxime Le Mal who has terrific voice modulation. Kirsten Wiig as Lucy exudes of warmth and sincerity with her voiceover. Pierre Coffin as the sole voice of Minions is excellent to the core. Steve Carell as Gru is phenomenal and makes for a memorable outing.
Conclusion
Despicable Me 4 is a lighthearted and harmless little Minions outing featuring their mayhem that makes for a fun filled outing at the cinemas, while ensuring that it is a decent watch overall. Available in a theatre near you.
