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A devoted family man and a diligent agent for the Anti-Villain League, Gru (Steve Carell) attends a reunion at his alma mater, Lycée Pas Bon, where he encounters his former class rival, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell). Maxime holds a longstanding grudge against Gru and has turned himself into a cockroach hybrid with superpowers, but the AVL promptly arrest him, thwarting his plans for world domination. But when Maxime escapes from prison with the assistance of his girlfriend, Valentina (Sofia Vergara), he develops a weapon that transforms people into cockroach hybrids and turns his attention towards getting revenge on Gru. As a precaution, Gru and his family - including wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig), newborn son Gru Jr. (Tara Strong), and adopted daughters Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Madison Polan, the third actress to play this role) - enter witness protection. As Maxime tries to find the family, they have their own troubles adjusting to life in the suburbs, with young neighbour Polly (Joey King) recognising Gru and blackmailing him into helping her with a heist.
Introducing the Mega Minions (a focal point of marketing) is one of the most promising developments here, with the AVL turning a few of the little yellow guys into superheroes. However, the movie does virtually nothing with the superpowered Minions aside from an irrelevant, though admittedly funny, sequence during which they fail to save a city and cause ample collateral damage, allowing the creative team to parody superhero cinema. But the most interesting aspect of Despicable Me 4 is the Lycée Pas Bon school, which is hidden away in the mountains and is essentially Hogwarts for aspiring supervillains, but again, the script does nothing with it. Instead, the school only serves as the backdrop for a heist set piece that also introduces the principal, Übelschlecht (director Chris Renaud), who has a high-tech wheelchair and is determined to prevent anybody from stealing the school's beloved honey badger mascot.
Properly investing in the story of Despicable Me 4 is impossible since the film consistently and erratically switches between plot threads, including Agnes questioning the morality of lying about her identity, Gru bonding with his newborn son, Lucy trying her hand at hairdressing, Maxime trying to get revenge on Gru for stealing his talent show act in the ninth grade, and more. These ideas deserve proper development, but the movie haphazardly glosses over everything, with too many characters vying for screen time. In theory, the way the directors breeze through everything over the feature's 95-minute runtime should, at least, result in fast pacing, but the lack of coherency and emotional resonance makes this sequel feel strangely leaden and unengaging. As a result, the experience feels aloof, and the directors keep us at arm's length. The sharp narrative focus of the original movie is sorely missed here.
The most expensive Despicable Me instalment to date, this fourth picture is expectedly visually lavish, but fluid and attractive animation is the absolute bare minimum at this point, especially with the mindboggling advances in animation techniques in the fourteen years since the first movie. Nevertheless, Despicable Me 4 does have its moments of ingenious invention, with amusing Minion antics as they continue to fulfil as many jobs as possible, while Gru needs to use his baby supplies to pull off a heist after mixing up his bags. However, several scenes fall flat, including an uninspired tennis match between Gru, Lucy and Poppy's wealthy parents, complete with a Minion umpire. Plus, the script lacks the side-splitting dark humour of the first movie. Sure, Gru no longer has a mean streak after becoming a father, but there are other villains here. On a more positive note, Despicable Me 4 brings back composer Heitor Pereira and musician Pharrell Williams, the latter of whom contributes another original song destined for endless radio air time: the incredibly catchy "Double Life." The jaunty music is still infectiously enjoyable.
Despicable Me 4 brings back most of the original cast, from Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig as Gru and Lucy to Steve Coogan as the AVL's retired director, Silas Ramsbottom. With seven years separating the third Despicable Me and this fourth picture, a new actress takes over to voice Agnes, who seemingly never gets older (neither do Margo or Edith, for that matter). Romesh Ranganathan also takes over from Russell Brand to play Dr. Nefario in a tiny cameo appearance. The most notable newcomer here is Will Ferrell, who plays the villainous Maxime. It is surprising that it took so long for Carell's Anchorman co-star to join the Despicable Me franchise, and Ferrell refuses to phone it in; instead, he goes for broke with manic, over-the-top energy. Unfortunately, with Despicable Me 4 trying to do too much, Maxime fails to make much of an impression with limited screen time, making the character feel tragically forgettable. Other actors join the fray, including Joey King and Sofia Vergara, but their appearances do not amount to much.
Despicable Me 4 is bursting with potential, particularly as the key ideas behind the movie will appeal to long-time fans of the series: more Minion antics, a colourful bad guy, a school for supervillains, and Gru engaging in villainous escapades while trying to maintain a healthy family life. However, the resulting sequel is a jumbled, discordant mess that lacks narrative cohesion and never coalesces into a compelling story. Despite the occasional comedic highlights, Despicable Me 4 is an enormous disappointment; another disposable, forgettable sequel that fails to recapture the lightning-in-a-bottle magic of the 2010 picture that spawned one of the most lucrative animated franchises in history. The law of diminishing returns is in full effect here, with this instalment easily the weakest in the ever-growing franchise so far.
5.4/10
