2017 in Cinema:
Despicable Me 3, 2017
Directed by: Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan, Jenny Slate, Dana Gaier, Julie Andrews
The third instalment in the Despicable Me series sees Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig, mother!) fired from their role in the AVL for failing to capture Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), a former child TV star who was fired himself for growing up. Gru then receives note that he has a long-lost twin brother (after his parents split each parent took a baby), Dru (also Steve Carell), and Gru and the family take off to go and pay them a visit. There Dru desires to be a villain and asks for Gru’s help, who decides to manipulate Dru’s desires and steal the diamond from Bratt, feigning it as a villainous act.
This was a strong return to form for the Despicable Me series, after what I felt was a slightly underwhelming second. The interactions between Gru and Dru were funny, the story between Lucy and the girls (she wants to be a mother to them) is nice and Agnes’ (Nev Scharrel) hunt for the unicorn is very rewarding. The whole film felt strong from start to finish.
Bratt is a good villain of the piece, combining a childhood-star-who-has-fallen persona with his desires to really be a villain (his TV show was of him as a villain as a child). He uses the TV show’s plots as a reality and this comes around nicely. And the best part about Bratt is he still listens to 80’s music, so he dances round and sings to these songs throughout, which is a nice addition to the film having these classic songs added to.
One slight issue of note, though, is the volume. Dru’s very ecstatic and constantly shouting, which can be a bit tiresome after a while. And while it had many funny jokes, not many of them were outstandingly hilarious, which just cuts it shy from being a 5*, but overall as strong as the first and if it’s the final instalment, it’s a brilliant way to end a brilliant trilogy.
Overall Rating: * * * *
Steve James 