Despicable Me 3

The previous three films released by Illumination Entertainment became three monster financial hits and that frightens me a lot. Neither "The Secret Life of Pets", "Sing" and especially not the awful motion picture known as "Minions" lived up to my expectations. I was so optimistic for a third film after seeing "Despicable Me 2" but as the release of the third film approached, I was afraid of being let down. Fortunately, "Despicable Me 3" had the same writers as the first two films and Pierre Coffin returned as co-director. Unfortunately, the other co-director is Kyle Balda and both he & Coffin made "Minions". After seeing "Despicable Me 3", I was thought the show was good but I took note its congested story. The first installment in Illumination Entertainment's "flagship film franchise" had heart and the second film was quite funny. "Despicable Me 3" could have found a perfect balance between heart and humor. By doing so, the contrast between the two would have resulted in heartfelt moments become more enduring and the humorous moments becoming more hilarious. The show however included too many plot lines and subplots to the point that "Despicable Me 3" did not quite live up to its predecessors. This was the same problem with "Sing".

The main plotline of "Despicable Me 2" was Gru and Lucy developing a relationship as they try to identify a master criminal. The subplots of that movie affectively supported the main plotline or fleshed out the story. Agnes' longing for a mother and the mysterious kidnapping of the Minions all related to the main story while Margo's infatuation with Antonio was a smart way to both fill some time & provide comedy. These three subplots did not get in the way of the main focus of the film. In "Despicable Me 3" however, there were five plotlines and all seemed to be in competition for screen time. Because of this conflict, the plot points of every plotline had to be rushed and were not sincere in their delivery. The focus of the film should have been twofold: Gru & Dru/Lucy and the girls. The source of comedy in the film would have been primarily from Gru & Dru getting to know one another while the movie's heart would have supplied by Lucy settling in as a mother. Regrettably, these plotlines had to share screen time with Anges' quest for a unicorn, the Minions going to jail and Balthazar Bratt's ultimate plan. None of these subplots supported the main plotlines because the quest for a unicorn for example did not relate to Lucy becoming a mom. I am sure that the Minions were given their own subplot because of the financial success of their spinoff movie. These characters could have been just as entertaining if they had gone to Freedonia and interacted with the locals. Gru's family should have been the main focus of the show and giving the Minions their own subplot led to a crowded script. As for Bratt's master plan, it has nothing to do with Gru's family for half of the show after Gru and Lucy are fired from the AVL. If there had been fewer subplots, the Gru & Dru/Lucy & girls plotlines could have each been improved and they would have better complimented each other. The film also has a few annoying plot holes. The plot twist leading up to the climax was very unexpected but one question left unanswered by this twist is how Bratt freed himself from his own gum. Also, if Gru knew the location of Bratt's lair, why did he not just capture him when he was still an AVL agent? It is apparent that Bratt has been Gru's arch nemesis for a while so what prevented Gru from going to Bratt's place once it was discovered? If Bratt's lair remained a mystery up until Gru met Dru, the script failed to mention that. Just in passing, the funniest gag in the show for me was the reveal of the TV talent show.

Any sequel must introduce new characters and in this case, one new character was well crafted while the other failed. The filmmakers were able to create a great back-story for a new villain in the universe of this franchise. It allowed for the exhibition of great technology as the filmmakers replicated vintage 80's video quite well. I wanted to see more of Bratt in the movie but because of the aforementioned amount of subplots, this wasn't possible. Lately, Illumination Entertainment seems to be casting voice actors who for the first time are working on something where they weren't their own writer or producer. "Sing" was the first time Seth MacFarlane voiced an animated character where he wasn't the producer and "Despicable Me 3" showcases the first Trey Parker animated character whose lines weren't written by him or his creative partner Matt Stone. Funny enough, young Bratt sounds like Cartman from "South Park" and that is fitting. I was sad to discover that Dru is annoying just like Vector was. In the second movie, the filmmakers were so successful in creating a new character that drives Gru nuts but is very appealing to the audience. I am puzzled as to why they failed to do the same for Dru. One reason could be that even though Steve Carell made Gru his own by giving him a unique accent for the first movie, he couldn't do the same for Dru as conceived by the filmmakers. I was sad that they re-cast Agnes with a different voice where as in the earlier films they used non-actor Elsie Kate Fisher. I am sure they made this switch because Fisher aged. The character is still cute but you can tell she is not as cute as in the original film. Giving Agnes her own subplot wasn't a bad idea but it should have been related with Lucy trying to adapt to being a mom.

It's no surprise that Pharrell Williams came back again to write a few songs for this franchise considering what happened with "Happy". Because of recent financial successes produced by Illumination Entertainment, this studio and other studios may feel they don't have to work hard to make millions. I just hope that the filmmakers forgo making a fourth film in this franchise. "Despicable Me 3" wasn't perfect thanks to its plot problems but it was way better than "Shrek the Third". I just want this franchise to end on a decent note but considering that sequels to "Minions", "Sing" and "The Secret Life of Pets" are on the way, I don't think Illumination will take my advice nor put enough effort into making those sequels worthwhile. Margo's T-shirt in every film in the franchise is an easter egg for an upcoming movie and "The Grinch" will be Illumination's next release. The studio missed the mark with "The Lorax" and "The Grinch" has a larger legacy so the odds of a critical hit don't appear to be good.

3.5 Stars out of 5