Despicable Me 4

After three Despicable Me movies and two Minions spin-offs, you might think they’ve run out of steam. Maybe it’s time to throw in the towel before we drown in yellow, babbling minions.

I wasn’t thrilled with the latest installments, but as a die-hard fan of the original, I had high hopes for this one. They even brought back the original director! Surely that would do the trick. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.

Yes, the movie will make you chuckle here and there. The voice cast is fantastic, but a great cast can only do so much if the story doesn’t grab you. The first movie nailed it with a heartwarming plot, something this sequel tried to replicate with Gru and the baby. But alas, it juggles too many subplots and drops most of them.

Steve Carell still steals the show alongside those pesky minions. Seriously, how do they keep making the same jokes funny? Their superhero storyline remains my favourite part. Shout out to Will Ferrell, who shines as the villain but sadly doesn’t get enough good material to really flex his comedic muscles.

In the end, this is a kids’ movie that knows it’s a kids’ movie. The kids in the theater seemed to love it, and the super minions are a hoot. So who cares if the plot’s a bit of a mess? Grab some popcorn, take the kids, and enjoy the chaos.

Have you seen it? Are you a fan of the franchise?