Despicable Me 3 Review

"Face it, Gru. Villainy is in your blood!!"


Despicable Me 3 is the latest and third entry into the highly popular Despicable Me franchise. The film was directed by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin and co-directed by Eric Guillon. The film itself stars many of the original cast from the previous Despicable Me films such as Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Nev Scharrel and Pierre Coffin (as those Minions we all love!) and also introduces new characters such as Balthazar Bratt portrayed by Trey Parker. The third instalment of the franchise follows Gru's discovering that he has a long lost twin brother, which leads to the pair of brothers taking part in one last villainous heist.

The Despicable Me franchise has been one that has been extremely successful, especially with younger audience members and has even released spin-off films in the form Minions (2015). Does Despicable Me 3 live up to the previous two films in the franchise?.... well I am happy to announce that it really does. Not only does it live up to the expectations set by the previous films in the franchise, but in my personal opinion it surpasses Despicable Me 2 (just my personal preference!). One of the many stand out aspects of the film is of course the animation, and the animation in Despicable Me 3 certainly does not disappoint, it is bright, vibrant and engaging on the big screen and really does keep you engaged within the world of the film. I also really enjoyed the comedic timings and sequences during the film, which mostly land but when they do, it really offers some good laughs and some real heart warming moments, and when those Minions are around, you are sure to laugh (I guarantee it!!). I really liked the fact that the film tackles some really strong themes and does not shy away from them, Gru's search for his long lost brother and Lucy's continued quest to become a mum to the three girls, is at times comedic, but also allows time for some strong character development, that allows you as the audience member to really connect and feel for the characters on screen.

There really was not much about this film which I did not enjoy, sure there are some jokes or sequences that don't land here and there (might just be an age thing!) but the majority do, and when they do, they make up for those sequences that fail to land. One of my main criticisms about the film is the films pace. For me, the pace was all over the place, and at some points sequences are dragged out slightly too long just to land another joke (which most of the time does not land!), which is more of a structural criticism, but generally there are times when the film is way too fast paced, and at times way too jumpy. Even the first action set piece of the film flies by. But that also continues throughout the entire film and jumps from one plot point to another, without giving the film the time it needs to breath, which would allow the audience members more time to connect to the characters and the situations that they find themselves in.

Overall I really enjoyed the last entry into the Despicable Me franchise, sure it is not as good as the original film, but still managers to capture the heart and spirit of the original film, whilst giving us more character development and a quirky, over the top and stand out villain. This film is going to be highly popular with younger audiences, but I am pretty sure that parents will be laughing alongside their children at this one and I highly recommend watching the film if you are a fan of the previous Despicable Me films.

Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars