Moi, moche et méchant 4

Verdict: SKIP IT!

Rating: 6.5/10

I really wanted to like this movie but it was pretty disappointing. The movie didn't have much of a story and the scenes felt like they were all over the place. The laugh out loud moments were too far and few between. I feel like they relied too much on the minions slapstick comedy as opposed to focusing on character development and creating funny scenarios in the storyline.

The villain was forgettable and not too impressive. The entire time it felt like there was nothing at stake. The only motivation for the villain was petty revenge. The thing that put me off the most in this movie was Gru's switch from a heel to a babyface. It just doesn't suit him or create funny moments. Gru is much funnier being the sarcastic wisecracking villain you love, not this tame neutered family man. He's much funnier popping kid's balloons and melting their ice cream then running around trying to please everyone.

I do admit though that him now being a family man makes sense in the continuity of the story, however it does nothing to improve the comedic scenes of the storyline which is why we all watch these movies in the first place.

I gave this movie a 6.5/10. It's not a good movie, but not a terrible one either. I feel that this movie was the weakest of the four and that this series has ran its course with nothing else left to offer. In my opinion, save your money and wait for this to come out on streaming.

"Despicable Me 4," the latest installment in the beloved animated franchise, delivers more of the same zany antics and heartwarming moments that fans have come to expect. Gru, voiced by Steve Carell, returns with his lovable Minions in tow, ready to embark on yet another wild adventure.

The movie introduces a few new characters, adding fresh dynamics to the familiar mix. The plot, while somewhat predictable, is packed with enough humor and action to keep viewers entertained. The Minions, as always, steal the show with their slapstick comedy and nonsensical chatter, providing plenty of laughs for both kids and adults.

However, "Despicable Me 4" struggles to break new ground. The storylines feel recycled at times, and the emotional beats, though effective, lack the impact of earlier films. The animation quality remains top-notch, and the voice performances are consistently strong, ensuring that the film is enjoyable even if it doesn't quite reach the heights of its predecessors.

Overall, "Despicable Me 4" is a fun, family-friendly movie that offers a good time, despite its familiarity and lack of innovation.

I think this falls into the same mistakes that the third one did. It was still classic Minion fun, but it didn't have a story to tell. In fact, in this one there isn't really a story. The story was just loosely tied together. In fact, it's multiple different things tied together, to make a mess of a story. That being said, I still had fun. I thought that the different bits and pieces we got was the fun to be expected with this franchise. For me, it still had a little bit of the charm from the first two. It isn't completely lost yet. The growth of Gru and his son was cute, but that was just about as interesting the movie got. I still had a lot of fun with the Mega Minions, I hope we can see more of them in the future. This franchise will forever be a guilty pleasure of mine.

Now, I've been a fan of these Despicable Me Movies since 2010 and I've loved all of the movie in a variety of different qualities. However, there was a part of me that wasn't necessarily excited for this movie and that's a big surprise for me. Now that I've watched the movie and I can honestly say that while I did like this movie, we've officially come to the point where the Despicable Me Franchise is starting to feel played out.

Positives for Despicable Me 4 (2024): There is still a lot of fun that can be had with this set of characters and honestly these movies won't survive without them. I enjoyed that this movie has a wide variety of different characters with their own distinct personalities and charisma. I really enjoyed the addition of Joey King as Poppy Prescott as one of the the neighbor characters to the Gru Family. I liked the fact that the Gru Family has to figure out how they need to adapt to a new neighborhood. I really enjoyed the journey that Gru goes on with his infant son Gru Jr. Where at the beginning of the movie, Gru Jr. Hates his father and then eventually starts to like his father at he end of the movie. And finally, the minions are still a lot of fun with their insane antics.

Mixed for Despicable Me 4 (2024): The main issue that I have with this movie is the screenplay and that's primarily because the two screenwriters of this movie are Mike White, the creator of The White Lotus (2021-) and Ken Daurio, the screenwriter of multiple Illumination Animated Movies. And while I do enjoy what both of these guys bring to the table with their writing, their styles of writing do not feel compatible with each other in term of how they write their characters, construct their stories, the tone that they're going for and the themes that they want to explore. It literally feels the movie is trying to figure out what it wants to be throughout the runtime.

Negatives for Despicable Me 4 (2024): Similar to Despicable Me 3 (2017), Dr. Nefario is not in this movie, with the exception of a small cameo. And finally, the villains of both Maxime Le Mal and Valentina are by far the weakest in the franchise which is bizarre because they are voiced by Will Ferrell and Sofia Vergara respectively.

Overall, Despicable Me 4 (2024) is still a fun movie within this franchise but we've reached the point where this franchise is starting to feel played out and that's not a good thing.

If it's not sacrilegious to say, I think this franchise is starting to run out of steam - the plot here isn't very original. The family "Gru" have a new child who doesn't much take to his father which only makes matters worse when arch-nemesis "Maxime Le Mal" - who is intent on turning everyone into cockroaches - escapes from custody bent on revenge on the man who put him in jail in the first place. Better safe than sorry, "Silas" relocates the family to a safe house where they have to pretend to fit in with the vacuous tennis club set, but one of that number - the feisty "Poppy" knows the secret and blackmails "Gru" into helping her pinch "Lenny" the badger from under the eyes of the diminutive "Principal Übelschlecht" at his alma mater. This adventure narks the headmistress and when she sees some video of the perpetrators, she's straight on to the phone with "Maxime" who hatches a plan to steal the baby and give him wings! The minions - and the newly formed and enhanced "Super Minions" - still manage to have some fun here as they discover their new home has a vending machine and an endless supply of popcorn, and there is some wit in the dialogue but the story itself is all pretty derivative and the animation looks a little too tired now. What was ground-breaking looks so much less now and the writing and characterisations are nothing special anymore. It does liven up for the last ten minutes, but the previously innovative and enjoyable mix of menace and mayhem has largely gone.