Despicable Me 3 (2017) [Blu-ray]
Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi
Illumination, who brought audiences Despicable Me and the biggest animated hits of 2013 and 2015, Despicable Me 2 and Minions, continues the adventures of Gru, Lucy, their adorable daughters-Margo, Edith and Agnes-and the Minions in Despicable Me 3.
Directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, co-directed by Eric Guillon and written by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio, the animated film is produced by Illumination's Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and executive produced by Chris Renaud. Joining Steve Carell
and Kristen Wiig in Despicable Me 3 is Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award winner Trey Parker, co-creator of Comedy Central's global phenomenon South Park and the Broadway smash The Book of Mormon. Parker voices the role of villain Balthazar Bratt, a former child
star who's grown up to become obsessed with the character he played in the '80s, and proves to be Gru's most formidable nemesis to date.
Storyline: After he is fired from the Anti-Villain League for failing to take down the latest bad guy to threaten humanity, Gru finds himself in the midst of a major identity crisis. But when a mysterious stranger shows up to
inform Gru that he has a long-lost twin brother-a brother who desperately wishes to follow in his twin's despicable footsteps-one former super-villain will rediscover just how good it feels to be bad.
Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, November 22, 2017 Perhaps the only thing more prominent in the Despicable Me universe than the lovable Minions is the name of the production company behind them -- Illumination
-- which earns a ~30 second spot at the beginning of Despicable Me 3 and features prominently on pretty much everything related to the films and characters. And rightly so. Illumination has essentially created an empire out of the franchise, a
multi-billion-dollar behemoth that has taken the world by storm, spawned a spin-off and an assortment of mini-movies, and become a merchandising juggernaut. The studio has also released two other unrelated but well-received animated adventures, The
Secret Life of Pets and Sing. Illumination may not yet be at Pixar status, but the studio is inching ever closer in that direction as one of the top dominant forces in the industry. Its latest, Despicable Me 3, crossed that
billion-dollar threshold on a budget of $80 million, another astounding rate of return even in a summer 2017 season that saw box office numbers on the decline. The film is fun and breezy, perhaps not quite as memorable as the previous outings but there's
enough excitement, humor, and charm to keep all comers entertained and all but guarantee a very yellow and green future at the box office.
Balthazar Bratt (voiced by Trey Parker) was once a child TV icon of the 1980s, but a sudden growth spurt (and all of the acne that comes with puberty) derailed his career. The derailment deranged him. He's grown up to embrace the evil character he
portrayed on television and has become one of the world's most nefarious criminals. His latest effort to steal a priceless diamond is foiled thanks to the quick actions of Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), his wife Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig), and some of
the Minions. But Bratt escapes and the repercussions for Gru and Lucy are serious: they are kicked out of the Anti-Villain League when new leadership takes charge. But Gru gets a second chance when he learns that he has a long-lost twin brother named Dru
(also voiced by Carell) who tries his best to lead him astray and also right back into Bratt's crosshairs. But Gru finds himself abandoned by all but a couple of his Minions, who have been frustrated by his lack of evil ways. Can he reform Dru, stop
Bratt, get his Minions back, and finagle his way back into the AVL, or is this the end of the road for the once powerful and now powerfully reformed hero?
There's a fun little moment right at the beginning when some Minions, cruising beneath the ocean, zoom on past a couple of fish who look very familiar. It's a great little moment and wink-and-nod elbow into the animation industry that signals the
franchise's increasing dominance in the marketplace. The movie certainly never captures the narrative excellence of that, or any other, giant of the modern Pixar-led animated realm, but this third outing in the ultra-popular franchise certainly hits some
high points, even if many of the shenanigans don't feel particularly creative. The movie finds its humor in its character subtleties and actions, in its extreme depictions of silliness, even in its more tender moments between father and daughters and,
now, mother and son and brothers. Despicable Me 3 does introduce some new characters and dynamics into the fold, pulling Gru again between good and evil and challenging his personal center as well as his commitment and wish to be close to and
provide for his family, his Minions, and his brother. These qualities are explored to satisfaction, and most of the rest of the movie boils down to colorful but largely generic action pieces that are unquestionably entertaining but lack evolutionary
creativity. Color abounds, shenanigans sprawl, and laughs come regularly, but the most discerning audiences might feel a little let down by the absence of serious franchise propelling storytelling. But, then again, does it really matter?
The film certainly delivers where it must. Most in the audience aren't looking for stern, detailed, complex characterization. They want laughs, they want color, they want enough story to tie it all together. The film cannot be said to be anything but a
major success under those requirements. The movie feels large where it must, intimate where it can be, but it does get bogged down in a few scattershot subplots, particularly one about Edith and Agnes' search for a unicorn. That only pads the runtime and
allows the girls a bit more screen time than they would otherwise enjoy, but that's about it. Steve Carell once again impresses as Gru (and Dru as well), never fumbling the cadence or falling the least bit out of character compared to previous entries. He
plays well off of himself as the dueling characters clash and bond in spots throughout the film and the new dynamic brings some added charm to a character who was on the precipice of growing stale. Trey Parker has a lot of fun as the villainous Balthazar
Bratt, bringing an agreeable spunk and comically evil spirit to the balding, mullet-sporting, over-the-top character stuck in the 80s and comically dancing and prancing and bursting from disguises throughout the film. As talented as he may be, though, he
slips into South Park Randy Marsh with regularity, a small annoyance for fans familiar with Parker's other voice work but that does suit the character very well.
Despicable Me 3 doesn't reinvent the yellow-dominant wheel, but it's a fun diversion with plenty of color, excitement, a few new interesting characters, and enough Minion shenanigans to keep everyone happy. The film could benefit from a little bit
of trimming (even at 90 minutes) but established series fans should find it agreeable and newcomers can jump in without much worry, too. Universal's Blu-ray is fantastic as expected, delivering reference picture and sound along with a nice, long list of
mostly fluffy kid-friendly extras. Recommended.
[CSW] -2.8- I agree with this reviewer: Plenty of low-brow minions humor to satisfy a three-year-old and plenty of 80s references to make a parent smile. This movie is everything you would expect it to be. But sending the minions to prison was
a stroke of genius. The movie was worth it for those scenes alone.
[V5.0-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box enhanced this movie... somewhat.
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