Written by Luke Barnes

Despicable Me 3 is an animated family film directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda. The plot sees Gru (Steve Carell), be fired from his job in the Anti-Villain League and have to find a way to prove to the new boss he has what it takes, to get his job back. The plot also sees Gru find out that he has a long lost twin brother called Dru (Steve Carell), who he never knew about.

All the same issues for the previous two films, that I have gone into detail about in my other reviews, are still here however, the new villain voiced by Trey Parker of South Park fame does provide a nice distraction.

Maybe I am bias, as I am a big South Park fan, but I really do think that Parker makes this film. He brings such an energy to his character of Balthazar Bratt, a faded 80’s child star who played the evil villain on TV and has tried to replicate it in his real adult life. Bratt is manic and zany and has some of the best lines in the series.

Overall, the sequels aren’t really any better or any worse for the most part they are of a consistent level, the good and bad factors still stay the same, so if you liked the other films you will like this to.

Pros.

Trey Parker

It is watchable

A few funny lines

Cons.

The character design

The needless side characters

Gru and Dru’s arc really goes nowhere

2.5/5  

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Written by Luke Barnes

Despicable Me 2is an animated family film directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. The plot follows the adventures of Gru (Steve Carell), as he now tries to fight for the otherside becoming a member of the Anti-Villain League. There is also a subplot about Gru searching for love.

The antisemitism of the character designs is still present here, but now only in Gru himself, however this film also adds in a number of hurtful cultural stereotypes which further puts me off the film.

I think in many ways, from story to execution, this film was weaker than the first. Really, it is just more of the same, the slight difference being now Gru makes Jam for half the film and there is a serum that turns the Minions evil. Neither of these plotlines are particularly interesting and that same can be said for the film as a whole.

I thought the introduction of Kristen Wiig’s Lucy Wilde helped the film somewhat. Wiig is not as cringey as she normally is here, though she is still to a degree, and her character pairs with Gru quite nicely. Do I buy their romance? No. Do I buy their snap immediate wedding? Again no, but I thought it was suitably sweet and easy to turn off your mind to.

My feelings towards the Minions themselves remain quite unchanged in many respects, my complaints from the previous film’s review still stand, however, I did find them slightly more entertaining this time around.

Overall, more of the same in both a good and bad sense, Wiig’s addition marginally improves the film, but it still lags behind its predecessor.

Pros.

Very watchable

Any scenes between Gru and his daughters

A strong emotional core

Cons.

Wiig’s character only marginally improves the film, and really the film did not need the subplot

The casual racism and continued antisemitism

3/5    

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Written by Luke Barnes

Despicable Me is an animated family film directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. The plot follows the adventures of Gru (Steve Carell), a supervillain who is trying to prove he still has what it takes.

Before I get into it I just want to point something out. Personally, I thought it was a little suspect that all the characters in this film who are supposed to be supervillains, including Gru, have stereotypically over the top Jewish features in their designs. Now, I don’t know if this was done deliberately and I have asked others what they think and not everyone seems to notice it, but to me it reeks of cheap and fairly blatant antisemitism; if interested I advise you to look into the racism of the Despicable Me series as there is a fair bit written about it.

Setting that to one side for a minute, the film can actually be quite charming when it wants to be: the scenes between Gru and his adoptive daughters, particularly the scenes when he is reading to them with the cat finger print book are adorable and heart-warming.

The minions themselves seem to be love them or hate them, at least in terms of the online discussion. I found myself mixed. I did not like the fact they talk in gibberish, it reminded me of something like Shaun The Sheep which I also didn’t like for a similar reason- I prefer characters that talk. They do have some moments that allow you to warm toward them, but I was still indifferent to them by the end of the film.

Overall, there is some promise here, sadly the rather overt antisemitism spoils it.

Pros.

Some warm scenes between Gru and his daughters

The Minions have a few strong comedic moments

It is easy enough to watch

Cons.

The clear anti-Semitism

The Minions

3/5

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