Despicable Me 3

Many franchises fall into the same trap when they come to the third movie, where some are great (Toy Story 3, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, The Dark Knight Rises), others are fail miserably (Shrek The Third, Hangover Part III, Spiderman 3, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) and more are split (Terminator: Rise of the Machines, Back to the Future Part III, The Godfather Part III, Iron Man 3). After two fun family films and a – actually nice – spin-off in "Minions," "Despicable Me 3" comes with some surprising satisfaction that it ended June off right, after what was a pretty dry blockbuster month (Baywatch, The Mummy, Transformers: The Last Knight) after opening with a smash in "Wonder Woman." 

The story starts with Gru and Lucy as they work as agents for the AVL (Anti-Vilian League) but the two get fired by their new boss (Jenny Slate), after the previous one (Steve Coogan) retires, after being tricked by '80s child star turned completely retro villain Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker). With nothing they can do, Gru, Lucy and the three adopted daughters get some surprising news when Gru is told he has a long-lost twin brother Dru, also voiced by Steve Carell, who lives a very affluent life but has inner desires of his own that may make Gru return to being a villain. 

Jack Bottomley stated in his review, "The core concept is certainly a familiar one and the film does bare some of the faults present in sequels but Coffin and Balda’s movie completely avoids franchise fatigue and the convention of its ‘long lost family member concept’ thanks to constant entertainment and numerous stand out moments that actually make it the series’ most consistently enjoyable offering." It is nice that the film showed you 90% of what the trailers showed you in the first 10-15 minutes, making the remainder of the movie mostly a surprise. Even though the plot may not be completely original it tells the story with a few bad jokes of inspired visual looks and bizarrily brilliant ideas. 

Bottomley stated, "Gru and Dru are a warm double act, thanks to the diverse vocal work of Carell, allowing Gru to remain on a good balance between wholesome and mischievous, Dru however borders entirely on the latter but not at the expense of likability (save for the odd moment where he broaches annoyance but the script never stays still long enough to allow that to happen). Wiig as Lucy also gets an arc of her own, as she tries to connect with the girls as a mother and it is nice to see matriarchal struggle given some focus, over the usual daddy issue plots that populate animation/live-action." Even the sisters get their own arcs, with Agnes (now voiced by Nev Scharrel) in search of a Unicorn, Edith helping Agnes and Margo shoving off a boy (Adrian Ciscato) who apparently, she married after a cheese serving. 

Even though you might have come because you're a fan of Gru, you will watch this for two very different reasons. Bottomley said, "However, while you may come to see Gru, you will stay for two very different reasons. Firstly, after their own movie, The Minions (Pierre Coffin) get the best comedic moments in the entire film, with hilarious musical sequences and slapstick, headlined by a gut grabbing rendition of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Modern Major General”." The second reason is Balthazar Bratt, who is a hysterical creation, which is done by Trey Parker from the hit cartoon, "South Park." Bratt has got to be the franchises best villain and is better developed than many of the movie's superhero movie antagonists. Bottomley said, "Giddily gimmick based, with a zany backstory, a cool and unusual array of ‘80s adoring weaponry/gadgets and Parker’s goofy voice work combining to create a dancing, narcissistic, fallen kids TV star antagonist that feels fresh and oh so bad in the best possible way! In fact he reminds a touch of the Babydoll character in Batman: The Animated Series...anyone? No? Just us then." 

From the amazing opening to the climatic finale and returning characters (one temporarily written out in a cleverly right way) to new song-and-dance moments (literally), "Despicable Me 3" is one of the most family (and fan) pleasing enjoyment. Bottomley ended his review by stating, "The narrative structure hardly reeks of freshness and not every joke is on target but the tomfoolery is infectious, the Minions continue to steal spotlights, the sugar rush action engages and Trey Parker’s moustachioed megalomaniac is a scene stealing blast!" 

If you love this series, like I do, then you should definitely see this movie. I went alone and saw this movie on opening day, which was not a disappointment at all. If you were not fond of the "Minions" spin-off, then this movie you will like. Don't worry, take the whole family to the theater to see this, they will love it.  It might be the best in the series.

Thank you for joining in on "Despicable Me Month." I hope everyone enjoyed my reviews. Stay tuned next month for a series of reviews that I am really looking forward to.